Court sets Aug 1 to hear legal bid to declassify AG's report on 1MDB

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today set Aug 1 to hear the application for a judicial review filed by Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (pix) and Muhammad Zahid Md Arip to challenge the decision to classify the Auditor-General's report on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as an official secret.
Judge Datuk Wira Kamaludin Md Said set the date in chambers in the presence of lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla representing Muhammad Zahid and lawyer N. Ganeson representing Mohamed Azmin.
Also present were senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan representing the respondents, namely Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, former Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang and the Malaysian Government.
Mohamed Azmin and Muhammad Zahid filed the application separately on Aug 15 and 5 last year.
In his application, Mohamed Azmin is seeking for a declaration that Najib had acted in conflict of interest, in issuing a certificate under Section 2B of the Official Secrets Act 1972, to Ambrin, directing him to classify his report on 1MDB as an "official secret".

Azmin is also seeking for another declaration that the classification by Ambrin on the 1MDB report as an "official secret" under the OSA was unlawful and "ultra vires" (beyond the power) of the Federal Constitution, the OSA and the Audit Act 1957.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Zahid, who is former spiritual leader of Pertubuhan Tolak Individu Bernama Anwar Ibrahim (TIBAI) filed the legal bid against the same respondents, seeking an order to make the 1MDB final report publicly accessible.
On Jan 11, the High Court granted both of them leave to proceed with their judicial review seeking to declassify the audit report on 1MDB. — Bernama