Ambiga: Don't undermine the judiciary

KUALA LUMPUR - A strong message must be sent to those who want to weaken the judiciary in the country, says former Malaysian Bar president Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan.

Ambiga who is also former Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) chairman said it was the Malaysian Bar's responsibility to protect the judicial independence.

This follows the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) investigation against Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali over an alleged unexplained wealth in his bank account.

“We can see when people try to weaken the judiciary. It is done subtly.

"The message we want to convey is that this needs to be stopped," she said when met during the “Walk for Judicial Independence” peaceful assembly organised by the members of the Malaysian Bar at Padang Merbok, here, on Friday.

In April, Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said criticism against the judiciary had gone overboard after MACC began its investigation against Mohd Nazlan.

Tengku Maimun said although the judiciary is opened to criticism, it does not mean that baseless allegations should be made against it or against certain judges to further one's own ends.

Mohd Nazlan, then a High Court judge, had convicted and sentenced former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on seven counts relating to RM42 million of funds belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd on July 28, 2020.