KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today set Oct 26 to hear Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Azmin Ali's leave application to proceed with his legal bid to declassify the Auditor General's (AG) final report on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), currently placed under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).
Counsel Michelle Kummar confirmed that deputy registrar Norazlin Othman decided on the hearing date during case management in her chambers this morning.
"The leave application will be heard before judge Datuk Hanipah Farikullah," said Michelle.
She said copies of the legal action would later be served on the three respondents, namely; Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Auditor General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and the Malaysian government.
Through the judicial review application filed on Aug 15, Azmin had sought a court declaration that there was a conflict of interest on Najib's part, due to the PM's role as 1MDB adviser, when he directed Ambrin to classify the report under the OSA.
Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president and Gombak MP, claimed the matter arose because Najib was purportedly linked to the 1MDB issue and it became his (Azmin's) responsibility as a member of parliament to “protect the taxpayers and the citizens of Malaysia”.
He is seeking a court declaration that the OSA classification on the report was unlawful and violated the Federal Constitution, and an order to compel the three respondents to declassify the 1MDB final report and release it to the public.
On Nov 18, Hanipah is also set to hear a similar leave application by former 'Tolak Individu Bernama Anwar Ibrahim' (a former non-governmental organisation) spiritual leader Muhammad Zahid Md Arip to mount a legal bid to make the 1MDB final report publicly accessible.