A Malaysian firm has launched an appeal against a decision to bar Cherie Blair, the wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, from representing it in an important court case, its lawyer said today.

The High Court on Wednesday turned down the application for Mrs Blair to appear in the case, saying that although she is an expert in human rights and employment law, she did not have expertise in the case being tried.

"The appeal has been filed. It was filed yesterday," counsel for Fawziah Holdings, Steven Thiru, told AFP . The company is expected to be informed next week of the date of the appeal hearing, he added.

As a foreign-based lawyer Mrs Blair needed approval to act for Fawziah, which is fighting for compensation over an allegedly corrupt deal involving a former finance minister.

The case is a sensitive one in Malaysia, where the current Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has launched a anti-graft campaign since taking over from veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad three years ago.