Former top lawyer Tommy Thomas scored a major court victory against his legal opponent. Three appeal judges kicked out the original trial judge from hearing his case. The Court of Appeal ruled that Judge Roz Mawar Rozain showed unfair bias against Thomas. Justice Faizah Jamaludin announced the unanimous decision that could change everything. Thomas walks away with 30,000 ringgit in legal costs from his courtroom win.
The drama started when politician Shahrir Abdul Samad sued Thomas over corruption charges. Shahrir claimed Thomas abused his power during his time as attorney general. The former Johor politician received one million ringgit from ex-prime minister Najib Razak for housing work. Thomas denied all wrongdoing and fought back hard against the accusations. Judge Roz Mawar had refused to throw out the case last year.
Appeal court judges found serious problems with the original judge's handling of the matter. They said her comments revealed she had already made up her mind about the case. Fair-minded observers would worry about bias from her previous statements. The three-judge panel ordered her removal from all future hearings. Thomas served as attorney general from 2018 until 2020 before stepping down from the powerful position.
Shahrir beat separate criminal charges about hiding income from tax authorities. That case ended with his complete acquittal two years ago. The civil lawsuit against Thomas continues with a different judge taking over. Legal experts say bias claims rarely succeed in Malaysian courts.
The drama started when politician Shahrir Abdul Samad sued Thomas over corruption charges. Shahrir claimed Thomas abused his power during his time as attorney general. The former Johor politician received one million ringgit from ex-prime minister Najib Razak for housing work. Thomas denied all wrongdoing and fought back hard against the accusations. Judge Roz Mawar had refused to throw out the case last year.
Appeal court judges found serious problems with the original judge's handling of the matter. They said her comments revealed she had already made up her mind about the case. Fair-minded observers would worry about bias from her previous statements. The three-judge panel ordered her removal from all future hearings. Thomas served as attorney general from 2018 until 2020 before stepping down from the powerful position.
Shahrir beat separate criminal charges about hiding income from tax authorities. That case ended with his complete acquittal two years ago. The civil lawsuit against Thomas continues with a different judge taking over. Legal experts say bias claims rarely succeed in Malaysian courts.
