The hearing for the ex-parte leave to institute contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Sri Gading MP Abdul Aziz Kaprawi for making comments that are subject to a defamation suit by Mukhriz Mahathir will be heard in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

The matter came up for case management today before Justice Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim, who is also the presiding judge in Mukhriz's defamation suit against Najib's press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad.

Acting for the former Kedah menteri besar, lawyers Haniff Khatri Abdulla and Fahmi Abdul Moin said they had also filed an application against Abdul Aziz.

“The judge has fixed Thursday to hear both the applications against Najib and Abdul Aziz,” Haniff told Malaysiakini when contacted today.

He said the judge directed them to serve the application to Najib and Abdul Aziz.

On Thursday, during the start of Mukhriz's defamation trial, his lawyers filed the contempt proceeding against Najib.

Today was fixed for case management on this application before Justice Ahmad Zaidi.

This follows Najib's statement on July 7 which claimed that Mukhriz's father and Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad is seeking to safeguard his legacy with the hope of making his son (Mukhriz) prime minister.

Mukhriz has also filed a suit against Tengku Sarifuddin for making a similar claim.

Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz, who is also deputy transport minister and Umno supreme council member, said the suggestion that Pakatan Harapan needs an interim prime minister could very well be a "trap" to install Mukhriz as prime minister.