The High Court here set Jan 9 next year to hear the application by Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam to set aside the leave obtained by Attorney-General (AG) Tommy Thomas to initiate committal proceeding against him for allegedly intimidating a witness in former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case.

Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah set the date during the case management today.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam, acting on behalf of the AG, informed the court that the prosecution had just received an affidavit from the defence team to set aside the leave obtained by AG to initiate the committal proceeding.

He said the prosecution needed time to go through the affidavit and asked for two weeks to reply to it.

Counsel Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee represented Lokman Noor.

Meanwhile, on the prosecution’s affidavit to amend the statement relating to the committal proceeding, Judge Sequerah said the court would deal with it after the hearing to set aside the leave to initiate committal proceeding concluded.

Last Oct 22, Judge Sequerah granted leave for the AG to initiate committal proceeding against Lokman Noor for contempt of court acts perpetrated on two occasions on Sept 25.

In the application, the AG sought an order for Lokman Noor to be committed to prison or be fined for his actions.

The AG said that on that date (Sept 25) the respondent (Lokman Noor) in a video interview uttered words constituting an express or implied threat against the witness, Amhari Efendi, who was the special officer to Najib, for having given evidence against the accused in the criminal trial of public prosecutor against the former prime minister at the High Court.

The AG said he would play the said video recording at the hearing of the application for leave and at the hearing of the substantive motion in the event leave is granted.

He said on the same day, Lokman lodged the police report against Amhari Efendi, who was the eighth prosecution witness, in respect of the evidence given by him at Najib’s ongoing criminal trial.

The object or purpose of the respondent's said act was to harass and intimidate Amhari Efendi, other witnesses and any potential witnesses who may come forward to give evidence against the accused in the trial, said the AG.

- Bernama