PUTRAJAYA: Former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim yesterday withdrew his appeal against a High Court decision allowing an application by Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to strike out a suit brought by him alleging that the then prime minister had altered the wording of his oath of office in 2009.
Mat Zain’s counsel Adenan Ismail informed a Court of Appeal three-man panel chaired by Justice Datuk Dr Badariah Sahamid
that his client is seeking to withdraw the appeal with costs of RM2,500.
Justice Dr Badariah, who presided over the appeal with Justices Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof and Datuk Hanipah Farikullah, then struck out the appeal with costs of RM2,500.
On July 6, 2018, the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed Najib’s application to strike out the suit as the issue had become academic because Najib is no more the prime minister
In his suit filed on March 3, 2018, Mat Zain claimed that the oath of office and loyalty that Najib took on April 3, 2009, was not as stipulated in the Federal Constitution and that it had been altered.
He sought a declaration for Najib’s subsequent actions as the prime minister and finance minister to be declared null and void.
Adenan, when asked outside the court why his client decided not to proceed with the appeal, said it was because the matter has become irrelevant as Najib is no longer the prime minister.
Counsel Nurshafiqa Balqish Jaffri represented Najib. – Bernama
