YOURSAY | ‘Criminality has infected all branches of the government, from the top to the bottom.’

Shocking! Judge claims judiciary involved in swindling public funds

Kamaapo: Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer has detonated powerful ‘dynamite’ at the very centre of the judiciary with his affidavit alleging judicial interference.

To prevent the Palace of Justice from appearing to the public and the world at large as the ‘Palace of Injustice’, a royal commission of inquiry to verify the allegations is very timely, and a must.

Vijay47: ‘Shocking’ has long lost any accuracy in describing events that have been taking place in our country. So have ‘shameful’ and ‘disgraceful’. We have to explore uncharted waters to find more appropriate words, since it appears that even the judiciary has jumped onto the bandwagon.

In fact, our judiciary, of all institutions, has over the last two decades or so carried a dubious hue, but previous allegations were all hushed up on the grounds that they were made by resentful parties with axes to grind.

But now, the institution has been mortally assaulted, the latest charges are being laid not just by a judge, but a serving one at that. There simply cannot be an alternative, not when it involves judges and the courts.

There has to be an RCI, and since the cancer seems to have spread so deep and wide, we cannot rely on our own any more – the commission must be manned by personalities from more honourable jurisdictions.

Who would have thought that the old men would have so much blood in them as to embark on a scheme where money was for the plucking from low-hanging branches. It was the ultimate scam, you just could not lose!

And to think that we were fretting about doubtful scholastic credentials and police officers going overseas to examine conditions within Turkish hammams.

We are in the pits, at rock bottom. We just cannot sink any deeper. Unless perhaps we learn tomorrow that Bank Negara officers have money-printing machines in their homes. You never know.

Darmakochi: I am not really shocked by this exposé. It was part and parcel of the past governments. The climax was with the past government. Too many shocks for an ordinary Malaysian like me.

Now all the moves of the past government are really making sense. A lot of times they know they will get away with anything even if the case goes to the court.

How do all the attorney-generals of the past sleep peacefully at night? Shame on them. A country is doomed if the judiciary is not impartial and works with the ruling party and other influential individuals.

The present government should consider a compulsory Moral Studies course for all the people involved in the judiciary. You can use the same syllabus as taught in schools.

Chuen Tick: Shocking? Hardly. Hamid has only revealed what most thinking rakyat has suspected all along – judges are complicit in the swindling of public funds.

The judges allegedly involved in these misdeeds may think they have got away with it. But, if we believe in a higher justice than the imperfect earthly ones, their day of reckoning will come when they face their maker.

TehTarik: It appears that individuals who were tasked with upholding justice were themselves breaking the law.

Criminality has infected all branches of the government, from the top to the bottom. We have become like a mafia state. Billions of ringgit spent on religious education and places of worship have come to nought.

Cogito Ergo Sum: No words to describe this debacle. The rakyat were paying through government coffers for favours rendered by individuals to certain parties. This scandalous affair makes 1MDB look like a picnic.

At least in the 1MDB matter, some of the money can be retrieved. But how do you undo cases that are long past the statute of limitations? This requires, as suggested, an RCI comprising members with impeccable integrity.

Anonymous_d99abf43: It will be interesting for those in the legal business, or journalists like in Malaysiakini to compile a list of cases where the government has had to compensate private companies. From there, we may get some ideas about who is involved in the alleged defrauding.

Anonymous_1527925538: Why were all the judges so quiet during the previous administration? Why are there so many revelations coming out now?

Anon: @Anonymous_1527925538 Because the good ones were threatened with cold storage should they have dared to speak up.

Open Mind: Hamid is a brave and courageous judge to expose such a shocking scandal in the judiciary. The 14th general election was truly a blessing for Malaysia with the change of government.

Else all the abuses, corruption and scandals would have stayed hidden. All the corrupted individuals have to be arrested and charged without favour.

Flying Eagle: Luckily, voters saved Malaysia from darkness on May 9, 2018. Now, the worms are starting to crawl out in stages.

Prudent: If Pakatan Harapan does not look into this with at least an RCI, then Harapan is worse than ‘Malaysian Official 1’ and will not be able to face the voters in the 15th general election.

Anonymous_1527925538: Why call for an RCI? If there is evidence of judges working with private parties to defraud the government, quickly make a report direct to MACC. Nobody is above the law, not even judges.

William Wallace: So this is why Malaysia only moved up one spot on Transparency International’s ranking from the previous BN administration.

MN: Well done, Sangeet Kaur Deo, for attempting to find out why the chief justice failed to defend the integrity of the judiciary over the two alleged incidents of judicial interference.

Our hero and your father, the late Karpal Singh, is looking down at you with love and huge approval!

Pro Bono: A well-known but seldom mentioned point is that the Court of Appeal and even Federal Court judges do not read with circumspection the judgments of lower courts which are under appeal.

The reasons may be because of reluctance to write judgments (which they have to do if the judgment of the lower court is reversed) or the haste to get rid of the backlog of cases.

A situation of looking at efficiency by the numbers but not the quality of justice.

Guuunner: This looks like a chess game – either it’s the Harapan government’s idea to reveal this and use it as a reason to clean up the pro-Najib judges before his trial begins, or it’s the latter’s move to cripple the judiciary system and credibility in order to postpone the trials as long as possible.

Freedom Fighter 2018: Malaysiakini should revisit the 1988 constitutional crisis – the removal of Salleh Abas and several judges by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The past is important to understand the present, particularly when the prime minister is the same individual.

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