KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam said he has never seen the country’s courts act so independently on political matters before.
According to Astro Awani, Musa said he could not remember a time when the judiciary was so uncompromising with political figures appearing in the courts.
“While many would be angry, others will welcome it,” he was quoted saying.
“If you’re emotionally involved then you may not be happy with it, but it’s clear that the judiciary is free and the lawyers play a big part in ensuring the freedom of this institution.
“So far in my life, I have never seen the judiciary act as independently as they do now,” he added.
On August 23, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak lost his final appeal against his conviction over the SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case.
The decision marked a historic moment for Malaysian politics as it was the first time a former prime minister in the country has been imprisoned.
Earlier this month, Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, was also convicted in her own corruption trial involving a billion-ringgit solar power project in Sarawak and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and fined RM970 million — the highest in the history of Malaysia’s courts.
However, the decisions also led to attacks against the judiciary that required Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat to tell critics of the recent rulings to read the written judgments instead of denouncing the judges without basis.
