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PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied accusations that he is seeking legal immunity from court proceedings, clarifying instead that he merely sought the Federal Court’s opinion on whether certain types of legal claims against a sitting prime minister are permissible.
“I am not asking for immunity from civil or criminal cases,” Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat during Prime Minister’s Question Time. “What I am seeking is to ask the court for a decision on whether anyone can make frivolous and vexatious attacks against the prime minister that disrupt the course of our work.”
He was responding to a supplementary question from Rasah MP Cha Kee Chin, who had asked for clarification regarding allegations that Anwar was attempting to avoid court scrutiny.
The prime minister explained that the application to the Federal Court was intended to obtain a ruling on the applicability of claims considered frivolous, vexatious, or constituting an abuse of court process, and whether such suits could proceed against officeholders in all cases, including civil matters.
In June, the High Court dismissed Anwar’s bid to refer eight constitutional questions to the Federal Court relating to the legal immunity of a sitting prime minister. Judge Roz Mawar Rozain ruled the application did not meet the requirements under Section 84 of the Courts of Judicature Act, describing the questions as speculative and not essential to resolving the case before her.
The Prime Minister’s clarification came on the same day he delivered a separate update on the government’s legal reform agenda, noting that the MADANI administration had passed 14 new Acts, amended 97 laws, and tabled 13 bills since taking office.
He described these developments as “unmatched even by previous governments”, adding that the reforms include two constitutional amendments — one on citizenship and the other related to the Parliamentary Services Act.
Anwar also announced that key legislation including the Ombudsman Bill, the Cybercrime Bill, and laws to formally separate the roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor would be introduced before the end of the year. - August 14, 2025