Unusually high security at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur fueled speculation that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had attended the Judges Conference dinner tonight.

There were scores of police officers in uniform and plainclothes.
 
Malaysiakini 's photographer was escorted away from the area near the hotel ballroom by policemen and barred from taking any photographs.

The event is not listed ‎in Najib's official schedule released to the press and organisers refused to confirm if he was invited or had attended.

However, multiple sources close to the judiciary confirmed to Malaysiakini that only de facto Law Minister Nancy Shukri (right) attended the dinner tonight.

It is understood that Najib cancelled at the last minute.

The media have been asking organisers about the event since yesterday, following the conference launch by Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria but it has been kept under wraps.

Had Najib attended, it would be the first time that a PM attends a Judges Conference event in more than a decade. 

The‎ last time was during the 1990s when then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad attended.

Malaysia practices the principles of separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the judiciary and the PM's mingling with the judges may raise eyebrows.

Pending cases involving Najib and Rosmah

Former United Nations special rapporteur for Independence of Judges  Param Cumaraswamy ( below) said in principle there should be no objection for the chief executive of government to be invited for such an occasion.

However, he notes that Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor are litigants in defamation suits filed by them.

"The PM should not have been invited to avoid public perception of want of judicial independence in the adjudication of the suits," he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

The former Malaysian Bar president said it would have been better if the heads of the legislature, the speakers of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara were also invited.

It is unknown if the speakers of the two houses were also present at the dinner.

Mahathir had no lawsuits pending when he attended the Judges Conference in the 1990s.

Najib has filed suits against DAP's national publicity secretary and Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and PAS mouthpiece Harakah over the allegations made against the PM's pet project 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

The PM as Umno president has also filed a suit against Malaysiakini over two articles which compiled readers' comments regarding the Terengganu menteri besar crisis last year.

Najib and Rosmah have jointly filed a suit against PKR vice-president and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, over his allegedly defamatory quip that government funds earlier used for fuel subsidy was instead used to buy a Rosmah's ring.

'Do it openly '

Lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah, also a PKR MP, told Malaysiakini that in principle there was nothing wrong about the PM meeting the judges in open for ceremonial occassions or even for policy discussions.

"However, it is best that such meetings are done transparently to minimise speculation that the judiciary wants to hob nob with the executive.

"This particular meeting seems to secretive, hush-hush and closed door, and will lead to unhealthy speculation especially in the aftermath of the Anwar Ibrahim (Sodomy II) case and other cases,” Sivarasa (right) said.

Justice Arifin has in speeches, including one delivered yesterday, emphasised the importance of an independent judiciary , stressing that the judiciary and media should be free.