Syariah Chief Justice Mahamad Ibrahim and Syariah High Court judge Muhamad Abdul Karim Wahab today lodged separate police reports accusing PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli of slandering the syariah court.

Rafizi allegedly defamed the court in saying that raising the penalty limit of syariah courts without giving judges a salary hike could open the door to corruption.

He also claimed there have been more syariah court judges arrested for corruption, compared with those from the civil courts.

The Pandan MP said this during a mock parliamentary session held by Pakatan Harapan MPs on April 10 to debate the bill to amend the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355).

The mock session was held after Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia suspended the parliamentary session before the amendment bill could be debated.

Mahamad said Rafizi’s claim "is baseless", for there has been only one case of judicial corruption involving a syariah court.

"His statement is slander and an insult to the syariah court institution and syariah judges, and has caused public distrust of the judiciary," he told reporters after lodging the report at the Putrajaya district police headquarters today.

Mahamad and 10 inividuals representing the Association of Syariah Officers of Malaysia spent more than two hours in the police district headquarters, before emerging to address the media at 11.30am.

Rafizi 'smeared dignity' of judges

Mahamad said Rafizi had smeared the dignity of syariah court judges.

"This is also an insult to the royal institution that appointed us, and is belittling the reputation of syariah courts in society," he added.

He said more police reports would be lodged over the matter, and urged police to investigate Rafizi under Section 499 of the Penal Code, which relates to criminal defamation.

In his speech during the mock parliamentary debates, Rafizi said the Act 355 amendments tabled by Marang MP and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang neglected the salaries of the syariah court judges, and only touched on raising penalties.

He said there would be a risk of corruption and abuse of power by syariah court judges as "those earning RM6,000 to RM7,000 are allowed to send people to jail for 30 years".

"Someone with a lower salary is given big powers to jail someone for 30 years. Such powers, if not properly managed, will open the doors to abuse," Rafizi said.

The Act 355 amendments seek to raise the penalty limit for syariah courts to 30 years' jail, 100 lashes of the whip and RM100,000 fine.

Act 355 now allows syariah courts to impose a maximum penalty of a fine of RM5,000, six lashes of the whip and three years' jail.