PUTRAJAYA, April 10 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today said the Cabinet has not discussed a leaked letter by de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said about a senior judge’s purported breach of ethics that was widely shared on social media.
Loke was asked about whether the government had discussed the issue after a Cabinet member reportedly affirmed that Court of Appeals judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali supposedly had violated the judges’ code of ethics.
“It has never been discussed in the Cabinet. Even this time, the Cabinet meeting that will take place this Wednesday, I don’t know what will be discussed yet,” he told a news conference at the Transport Ministry here.
Previously, it was reported that Azalina had sent a letter to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in response to whether there had been a conflict of interest while Nazlan presided over Najib’s case.
According to the letter that was sighted by Malay Mail, Azalina wrote “queries are answered in the affirmative.”
Four days ago, Azalina said that only the judiciary has the authority to evaluate alleged breaches of ethics involving judge Mohd Nazlan.
When asked about Najib’s royal pardon application, Loke said that matter was also not addressed in the previous Cabinet meeting.
He also said that the Umno application did not reflect the government’s view on the matter but rather just the party’s opinion.
“To be fair to the Umno ministers, they have never brought this issue to be discussed in the Cabinet. So, it was not a position taken by the Cabinet. It was the party’s decision,” he said.
Loke also reiterated what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said previously that any convict has the right to apply for a royal pardon and it is up to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to decide.
Previously, Anwar said that there is no conflict of interest with his office’s involvement with the Pardons Board on Najib’s royal pardon application.
On Friday, the Umno Supreme Council had expressed its intention to ask the King to consider granting a royal pardon to disgraced former prime minister Najib, who is currently serving his 12-year jail term at the Kajang prison.
The party’s secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki had in a statement said that the council had unanimously agreed to seek an audience with the King to present a memorandum.
