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KUALA LUMPUR – Legal drama ensues five minutes into the day of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s trial verdict at the high court here as one of her lawyers, Datuk Jagjit Singh, appealed for more time to marshal a response to the prosecution’s counter-affidavit on her application to recuse judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan.
However, senior deputy public prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram said Rosmah’s application did not have credible evidence to support her justification to recuse the judge.
Sri Ram said the defence’s application was made in bad faith and amounts to an abuse of the process of the court as it was based entirely on hearsay based on news published on an online portal.
Zaini earlier reprimanded the lawyer after Jagjit requested for more time, saying he was ready to hear the merits of the application as the defence filed a certificate of emergency on August 30 as means to expedite hearing on the matter.
“When you filed a certificate of urgency on the 30th, I instructed my officers to fix today itself, irrespective of whether I was due to deliver a decision at the trial. I’m still hearing on the matter today itself, that has been the practice.
“So having said that, Datuk Jagjit, you filed the certificate of urgency, you should be ready,” said the judge.
Zaini told Jagjit he was ready to set aside the prosecution’s affidavit – filed this morning by deputy public prosecutor Poh Yin Tinn – so as not to handicap the defence.
“I have read it, in my opinion, there is no need for you to rebut any facts there and don’t you think that the facts alleged in your affidavit are something within my personal knowledge?
“It pertained to an alleged judgement of mine written by a third party. I think I'll be the only one that will be able to answer that question,” he said, reiterating that he is ready to hear on the matter today.
“Impress me with your research. Do you want a few minutes?”
After that, the court took a 30-minute break to grant the defence team some time to prepare to argue Rosmah’s application. – The Vibes, September 1, 2022
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