PUTRAJAYA (Sept 9): Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, the respondent in a civil suit involving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has written to the Court of Appeal for an earlier hearing date, citing public interest and the need for a speedy resolution to the appeal.
In a letter dated Sept 8, to Court of Appeal President Datuk Abu Bakar Jais, Yusoff’s lawyers from the firm Law Practice of Rafique requested that the appeal, currently scheduled for hearing on March 4, 2026, be brought forward.
Last week, during an e-review session before the appellate court’s deputy registrar, the March 4, 2026 date was set by the court.
However, Yusoff’s lawyer Rafique Rashid had said that he would be writing to Abu Bakar to seek an earlier date.
The appeal in question is in relation to Anwar’s bid to refer legal questions to the Federal Court, on whether a sitting prime minister has qualified immunity from civil lawsuits during his tenure. The High Court had on June 4 rejected Anwar’s bid to refer the legal questions to the Federal Court.
According to the letter by Rafique, the appeal revolves around eight legal questions that he contends do not require lengthy deliberation from the courts, as all cause papers and written judgements have already been filed.
He further added that the case directly involves the prime minister — the nation’s highest executive office — and therefore demands urgency and prioritisation.
Citing prolonged delays on behalf of his client, Rafique said that the original High Court action was filed in July 2021, and trial was set for June 16, 2025, but the matter has yet to reach a resolution.
The lawyer also said that matters in this appeal have already been canvassed “extensively and in depth” at the High Court stage, and it would therefore not take long, adding that all necessary documents, including the records of appeal, memorandums of appeal, and grounds of judgment, are already complete.
Rafique further noted that during case management in July, Court of Appeal judge Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali had allowed parties to apply for an earlier hearing date.
“We respectfully urge that the appeal be fixed earlier than March 2026,” the letter concluded, underscoring the prolonged timeline and importance of the matter.
The Court of Appeal is now expected to decide on whether to accede to the request for an earlier hearing.
In the High Court decision, judge Roz Mawar Rozain said that the application filed in relation to Yusoff's sexual assault suit against Anwar had failed to meet the threshold needed to refer the questions to the country's top court.
Yusoff, now 32, filed the civil suit against Anwar in July 2021, alleging that he had been sexually assaulted at Anwar’s Segambut home on Oct 2, 2018.
He claimed that after filing a police report, he was accused of trying to ruin Anwar’s political career, and this accusation had affected his mental health.
Yusoff is seeking various damages and other relief. Anwar, 77, has denied the allegations and filed a countersuit.
In this case, Anwar is represented by Messrs Zain, Megat, and Murad.
Yusoff's civil suit comes after he made a statutory declaration and a police report over the incident in 2019. In January 2020, the Attorney General’s Chambers said it would not pursue the matter.