KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Brenndon Keith Soh (pic) is back as Sabah State Attorney General after three and a half years, replacing Datuk Nor Asiah Yusof.
This was announced by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in a statement yesterday, saying Soh’s appointment is with immediate effect and for a period of three years.
Nor Asiah will assume Soh’s previous position as legal adviser to the Chief Minister.
A former Sabah Law Society (SLS) president, Soh had previously held the state AG’s position from July to November 2020.
The move comes nearly two months after the controversial submission by the Sabah government through the then state-appointed counsel, Tengku Datuk Fuad Ahmad, in the Federal Attorney General’s appeal against a High Court decision to grant the SLS leave to challenge the 40% special constitutional grant provisions.
During the hearing at the Court of Appeal on May 16, Fuad had submitted a last-minute application on behalf of the state government to intervene and become co-appellant against the leave granted by the Kota Kinabalu High Court.
Fuad’s arguments to block SLS from being granted leave for judicial review and on Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution as being “an aspiration” triggered a public outcry and political storm in Sabah.
There were calls from both sides of the political divide for Nor Asiah, the state AG then, to resign over the handling of the case.
Nor Asiah and Soh, who were then the legal advisers to the Chief Minister, however, subsequently took over the case from Fuad, whose services had since been terminated.
The state also withdrew its challenge against the position of SLS in the case.
In a statement on June 18, Soh commended the decision of the Court of Appeal in upholding the position of the High Court in granting leave to the SLS.
