THE government takes note of and respects the Federal Court’s decision and Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s considerations regarding the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation against Court of Appeal judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, Anwar Ibrahim said.

The prime minister said he had referred to the Federal Court ruling dated February 24 and the chief justice’s considerations that there were no elements of public interest in the probe against Nazlan.

“MACC is an independent body and has the right to conduct an investigation against any party.

“On the other hand, the procedure set for the judicial body is to refer to the code of ethics for judges if there is a solid basis,” he said.

On February 24, a seven-member panel of the Federal Court ruled that the investigation conducted by MACC against Nazlan was done without regard for judicial independence and protocol.

Justice Tengku Maimun said this in the court’s unanimous decision to answer two questions of law pertaining to the powers of criminal investigating bodies to investigate serving superior judges, which were raised by three lawyers.

Nazlan was the High Court trial judge who convicted and sentenced former prime minister Najib Razak to 12 years in jail and a RM210 million fine on seven charges relating to RM42 million in funds belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd on July 28, 2020. – Bernama, March 28, 2023.