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Key Highlights
Bigwigs in court
Sanusi bets Anwar will face Kedahans’ ‘curse’
Lawyer spots fresh cracks in Kelantan syariah law
Bigwigs in court
The Kuala Lumpur Court Complex is busy this week with big political names in its courtrooms.
Ex-human resources minister M Saravanan confirmed that he will be charged at the Sessions Court today (Friday) over corruption allegations involving foreign worker recruitment.
However, the MIC leader, in a letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, said neither he nor his family was involved in MACC’s “wild and baseless” allegations, claiming that certain individuals were coerced into implicating him.
Saravanan’s letter noted that two businesspersons had been arrested in connection with the hiring of foreign workers and he claimed they “were forced to make confessions against their will simply to associate my name with the malicious intentions of certain parties.”
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri Yaakob claimed trial at the same Sessions Court yesterday to a charge of not disclosing millions in assets, including gold and silver, to MACC last year, making him the third former prime minister charged in court under the MACC Act.
Fellow former premiers were also in court for separate cases, namely Najib Abdul Razak, who attended the hearing of a US$5.64 billion civil suit filed by 1MDB against him, and Muhyiddin Yassin, who was in court over his Jana Wibawa case.
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Sanusi bets Anwar will face Kedahans’ ‘curse’
Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Nor has warned Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that Kedahans will curse him if gambling activities resume in the state.
The PAS leader said the ball was now in Anwar’s court, as he also holds the finance minister portfolio, after the Federal Court quashed Kedah’s blanket ban on gambling and lottery outlets.
“So now, are you going to approve? Because if you do, you will be cursed (celaka) by Kedahans,” he said.
Sanusi also urged Kedahans to pray for divine retribution against tycoons he claimed were behind the legal challenge, suggesting they pray for the tycoons’ stomachs to burst.
In response, Anwar’s aide Tunku Nashrul Abaidah accused Sanusi of displaying a “two-faced and holier-than-thou attitude on this issue”, saying it reflected his political hypocrisy.
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Lawyer spots fresh cracks in Kelantan syariah law
Lawyer Nik Elin Nik Rashid, whose constitutional challenge in 2024 led to 16 Kelantan syariah provisions being struck down, has flagged 11 provisions in the state’s replacement law that could potentially face legal challenges.
Among them are provisions on disturbing Muslim places of worship and safeguarding private and other body parts. She also questioned the new law’s definition of a “Muslim”, which appears to extend to companies, organisations and groups - potentially at odds with a 2025 Federal Court ruling.
Nik Elin said she has no intention of mounting another challenge, but warned that someone else could emerge as a “Nik Elin 2.0” and take the law to court.
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