KUALA LUMPUR: A new judge will hear Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s RM1 million corruption case.
This follows the Court of Appeal’s decision allowing the former federal territories minister’s appeal to recuse High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali from hearing his ongoing bribery trial.
Nazlan in today’s proceedings informed that the registry had transferred the case to the court of judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin at High Court 4.
Before Jamil, deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim said the prosecution had filed an appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision at the Federal Court.
She also sought for a stay of the proceedings pending the disposal of the prosecution’s appeal.
“The prosecution is seeking for a date to be fixed pending the disposal of the appeal at the Federal Court. We are also asking for a stay of proceedings,” she said.
Jamil allowed a stay and set March 25 for mention.
So far, two prosecution witnesses have testified in the trial.
On Feb 12, a three-member Court of Appeal bench allowed Tengku Adnan’s appeal to set aside Nazlan’s decision in refusing to recuse himself from hearing the trial.
Court of Appeal judge Datuk Yaacob Md Sam who led the bench held that the appeal has merits and warranted the appellate court's intervention.
On Sept 19, last year, Tengku Adnan had sought to recuse Nazlan who was the judge presiding over the case.
This comes on the heel of the guilty plea on an alternative charge entered by property tycoon Datuk Tan Eng Boon who was to be jointly tried with the Putrajaya Member of Parliament before the same judge.
Nazlan had on the next day (Sept 20, 2019) refused to recuse himself and proceeded with the trial which prompted Tengku Adnan to file an appeal against the judge’s decision at the Court of Appeal.
In November, last year, Tan, 72, claimed trial to bribing the former minister with RM1 million using a Public Bank cheque belonging to Pekan Nenas Industries Sdn Bhd which was deposited into latter’s CIMB bank account.
The money was purportedly a reward for Tengku Adnan, 70, to assist the approval of Nucleus Properties Sdn Bhd’s (now known as Paragon City Development Sdn Bhd) bid to increase the plot ratio relating to the development of Lot 228, Jalan Semarak, here.
Tan also faced an alternative charge of abetting Tengku Adnan in committing the offence.
He was fined RM1.5 million by Nazlan for the offences on Sept 17, last year.
Meanwhile, Tengku Adnan was charged in his position as a public servant, with accepting RM1 million from Tan.