MP and unionist want judge upbraided
An MP and a unionist are urging the judiciary to upbraid a judge for delaying a written judgment over their judicial review application against the federal government asking for full disclosure of the details of the agreement with Selangor water concessionaire Syabas.
An MP and a unionist are urging the judiciary to upbraid a judge for delaying a written judgment over their judicial review application against the federal government asking for full disclosure of the details of the agreement with Selangor water concessionaire Syabas.
“We need the written judgment from the judge to file our application at the Federal Court.
“What is worse is that she is going to retire in two to three weeks. Without the written judgment we cannot file our application at the Federal Court,” said DAP’s Klang parliamentarian Charles Santiago at a press conference in parliament house today.
The written judgment, said Santiago (
right
), was promised within one month after the appellate court bench led by Justice Zaleha Zahari reversed an earlier High Court decision in their favour.
The High Court had initially ruled in the applicants’ favour, instructing the government to disclose the classified concession documents and an audit report justifying the 2006 water tariff hike in Selangor.
However as of now, lamented the Klang MP, the document is 19 months overdue.
“We have already got the written minority dissension from Justice Mohd Hishammuddin one month after the trial.”
Citing the Judges Code of Ethics 1994, former MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud said that the Chief Justice and the Appeals Court president should take action as Zaleha has failed in the conduct of her duties to the bench and to the public as this case touches on public interest.
“If a government servant’s tardiness has caused a case to be delayed in court, then the Public Services Department can take action like freeze their pensions.
“The judiciary should do the same in her case,” argued Syed Shahir ( left ).
They callled upon Chief Justice Ariffin Zakaria and Appeals Court President Md Raus Sharif to take action against Zaleha to ensure she furnished them with the document.
A letter to this effect has been sent to both Md Raus and Ariffin.
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