Khalid applies to cite ex-MACC chief, AG’s Chambers for contempt
KUALA LUMPUR (April 2): Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan and the government for defying a court order to publish an apology in two mainstream dailies. The Selangor menteri besar’s lawyer, Sankara Nair, filed an application for leave to cite Ahmad Said and the government for contempt of court, at the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning. The front-page apology to Khalid was to be published in The Star and the New Straits Times within four days from March 19, 2013 when a consent judgment was entered against Ahmad Said and the Attorney-General’s Chambers in a defamation suit filed by Khalid. According to Sankara, the defendants had initially said that they couldn’t comply with the judgment because they hadn’t been served a sealed copy of the court order. Sankara subsequently served the sealed order to them on March 25 and gave them an extended deadline of 48 hours, which lapsed on March 28. “On March 26, I received a letter from the AG’s Chambers to vary and seek a time extension,” Sankara told reporters at the courthouse. “This was after the first deadline, and they were already in contempt.” The letter stated that it was “impossible” to meet the deadline and that the apology should appear on any page of the New Straits Times instead of only the front page. Sankara however pointed out that the defendants had consented to these terms before the High Court Judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan, and all parties had agreed to it. “If they couldn’t have done so then they shouldn’t have consented,” he said. “And it has to be legally impossible. Only then the court can understand (the request). But here it is possible.” Sankara said considering that both dailies are issued permits by the Home Ministry and that the AG’s Chambers is a government body, there shouldn’t be any problem in publishing a front-page apology. “(Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri) Musa Hassan’s affidavit was published on the front page of all dailies including New Straits Times on Sept 4, 1998,” he added. The 1998 affidavit was related to the arrest of KS Nallakaruppan and Musa’s investigations into the anti-Anwar book 50 Dalil Kenapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM (50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot be PM). “Why was it possible then and not now?” Sankara questioned. “Clearly they could have and should have done it. They must comply.” “It is disrespectful to the court, therefore I have to file an application to cite them for contempt.” Ahmad Said had read out an apology to Khalid, before Justice Lau, for accusing the menteri besar of abusing his powers by using state funds to maintain his personal car and to purchase 46 cows for Aidiladha celebrations in the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency in 2009.