Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said he needed to carefully study the statement by Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz regarding the judges involved in the judicial crisis 20 years ago before making a decision whether to refer the minister in the prime minister’s department to the Committee of Privileges as called for by Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor).
“Before making a decision, give me two or three days to get facts, not just from the Malayan Law Journal (MLJ). Then I can make a decision,” Wan Junaidi said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Karpal asked that Nazri be referred to the Committee of Privileges alleging that what was said by the minister was not true.
According to Karpal, with reference to the MLJ, former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and Supreme Court judges, the late Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawan Teh and Datuk George Edward Seah, were sacked and not asked to take early retirement as stated.
Karpal was referring to Nazri’s statement on Nov 6 when he said that when the tribunal set up made a decision and found the judges guilty what happened was they were not sacked but took early retirement.
At that time, Nazri announced the government had made ex-gratia payments amounting to RM10.5 million to Mohd Salleh and five other judges involved in the crisis.
Mohd Salleh received the highest amount of RM5 million, Wan Suleiman (RM2 million), George Seah (RM2 million) whereas Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Mohd Salleh, the late Tan Sri Eusoffe Abdolcadeer and Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin received RM500,000 each.
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