KUALA LUMPUR: Shah Alam High Court Judge Datuk Abdul Alim Abdullah yesterday clarified that judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir had not heard the applications for a stay of execution over a six-year jail sentence imposed on Sabak Bernam Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakri and his aide Rosli Busro.
Abdul Alim, who was the judge who granted a formal stay of execution, referred to several media reports stating that Akhtar was the one who had dismissed their applications.
“It was brought to our attention that Akhtar never heard the applications for a stay of execution as he was indisposed,” Abdul Alim said in a statement yesterday.
The judge explained that due to the certificate of urgency filed by the applicants’ lawyers, the High Court Registry had assigned the application to be heard before him on an urgent basis. — Bernama