KUALA LUMPUR – Businessman Datuk SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin has lost his bid to be an intervener in Maria Chin Abdullah’s judicial review.
Maria, the former Petaling Jaya MP, on August 22 last year, was granted leave by high court, here, to proceed her judicial review against the shariah high court’s show-cause order, that was issued against her on April 22 the same year.
The shariah high court, on April 22 last year, had sentenced Maria to seven days’ jail for contempt of court over her statements criticising the court’s decision to jail Emilia Hanafi, the ex-wife of SM Faisal.
Emilia was sentenced for unilaterally changing visitation dates of their children to spend time with the businessman.
In Maria’s judicial review, she claimed that the committal warrant against her was done in bad faith and she is seeking to quash the order.
However, today, Maria’s lawyer Rosli Dahlan confirmed that SM Faisal’s application to be an intervener in the judicial review has been dismissed by high court judge Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid, on the basis that the businessman has no direct interest in the matter.
“Maria’s judicial review had raised many legal and constitutional issues including the breach of fundamental rights to freedom of speech.
“The judge held that SM Faisal is not a proper person defined by Order 53 (of the) Rule 8 of the Rules of Court 2012 and that his reliance on Order 15 (of) Rule 6 of the Rules does not apply to judicial review proceedings,” he said in a statement today. – December 6, 2023