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KUALA LUMPUR – The Sabah Law Society (SLS), the Advocates Association of Sarawak and the Malaysian Bar are reserving their comments on the investigation of appellate court judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali reportedly over allegations of unexplained money in his bank account.
The legal groups said they are aware of the ongoing probe as well as the police report lodged by Nazlan over an article by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.
SLS president Roger Chin said it is too early to comment on the case as the probe is ongoing.
“I think it is too early to say anything. I would wait until there’s a finding before even considering commenting on the matter.”
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki was quoted by The Star as saying that an investigation paper had been opened after reports were lodged.
“Yes, we have started our investigation. The procedure is to investigate when a report has been officially lodged.
“We opened an investigation paper because there were reports lodged, not because claims were made on portals or social media,” he was quoted as saying.
Azam said the investigation is still in the early stage and that the commission’s officers will decide on issues like documents to search for and individuals to summon for questioning in due course.
In a statement on Thursday, the Palace of Justice Chief Registrar’s Office said that Nazlan had lodged a police report against an article by Raja Petra that alleged over RM1 million was deposited into his bank account by fugitive financier Low Taek Jho.
“This office takes such allegations and comments seriously and reminds the public that any accusation against the judiciary with intentions to affect any ongoing trial violates the principle of sub judice,” read the statement.
Nazlan was the presiding judge in Najib’s SRC International trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court that commenced in April 2019 and delivered the guilty verdict in July 2020.
He was also the judge who convicted and sentenced the Pekan MP on charges relating to funds belonging to SRC International in July 2020. An appeal against the conviction is pending before the Federal Court. – The Vibes, April 23, 2022
