New Judge Appointed for Yusoff Rawther’s Civil Suit Against Anwar Ibrahim
PUTRAJAYA – A new judge has been appointed to preside over the civil lawsuit filed by former research assistant Yusoff Rawther against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Justice Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan will now handle the case, according to Yusoff’s legal representative, lawyer Nur Mustanir Nor.
This judicial appointment comes after the previous judge assigned to the case, Justice Roz Mawar Rozain, was transferred to Seremban last month. Nur Mustanir informed reporters after a Court of Appeal proceeding that case management is scheduled to take place before Justice Raja Ahmad on April 8. This session will be crucial for setting the trial dates for the ongoing legal proceedings.
The case had previously seen a change in judges, with Justice Roz Mawar taking over from Justice Johan Lee, who was transferred to the Alor Setar High Court.
Court of Appeal Awards Costs to Yusoff Rawther Following Anwar Ibrahim’s Withdrawn Appeal
In a separate development concerning the same legal matter, a three-member Court of Appeal bench, led by Justice Wong Kian Kheong, has granted costs to Yusoff Rawther. This decision followed Anwar Ibrahim’s withdrawal of his appeal against a High Court ruling. The High Court had previously dismissed Anwar’s attempt to refer eight specific questions of law to the Federal Court for consideration in relation to the lawsuit.
Anwar Ibrahim’s solicitors, the firm Christopher & Lee Ong, had formally communicated to the court that they would not be submitting any arguments for the appeal, which was slated for hearing on the same day.
The Court of Appeal bench, comprising Justice Wong Kian Kheong, Justice Azmi Ariffin, and Justice Latifah Tahar, subsequently struck out Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal. As a consequence, Yusoff Rawther was awarded RM50,000 in costs.
During the proceedings, lawyer Rafique Rashid Ali, representing Yusoff, had initially sought RM150,000 in costs. He argued that significant preparatory work had been undertaken by his team, including preparations for Anwar’s application to stay the trial pending the outcome of the appeal. In contrast, lawyer Sanjay Mohan, who represented Anwar Ibrahim, proposed an offer of RM15,000 in costs. The court’s final decision leaned towards Yusoff Rawther’s claim for costs, reflecting the outcome of the withdrawn appeal.
