PUTRAJAYA (March 4): The Court of Appeal on Wednesday ordered Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to pay RM50,000 in costs to his former aide Muhammad Yusoff Rawther following the prime minister’s withdrawal of an appeal to refer eight constitutional questions to the Federal Court.
Yusoff’s counsel Rafique Rashid Ali said initially they had asked the three-member bench to consider giving his client RM150,000 costs while Anwar’s counsel Sanjay Mohan of Messrs Christopher & Lee Ong offered only RM10,000 costs.
Rafique said they had asked for costs as the hearing of the appeal was scheduled for this month and there were a lot of documents and written submissions filed while Anwar, who had changed his lawyers four times, had not submitted any submissions.
Following this, the bench, led by COA judge Datuk Wong Kian Kheong and consisting of COA judge Datuk Azmi Arifin and High Court judge Datuk Latifah Mohd Tahar, ordered Anwar to pay RM50,000 costs to Yusoff.
Anwar has been given 30 days from Wednesday to pay the RM50,000 costs.
Wong, in granting costs noted that the withdrawal of questions of law posed with regard to the suit filed against the sitting prime minister had resulted in the delay of the hearing.
Rafique told the media that a case management of Yusoff’s civil suit is fixed for April 8 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court for the possible fixing of a hearing date.
Yusoff, who is turning 33 this year, filed the civil suit against Anwar in July 2021, alleging that he had been sexually assaulted by Anwar at Anwar’s Segambut home on Oct 2, 2018.
He claims that after filing a police report, he was accused of trying to ruin Anwar’s political career and this accusation has affected his mental health.
Yusoff is seeking various damages and other relief. Anwar, 77, has denied the allegations and filed a countersuit.
Anwar had filed eight questions of law with regards to the suit. Among others, whether a suit could be filed against a sitting prime minister. However, this was dismissed by High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain on June 4 last year, resulting in this appeal.
When Anwar changed his lawyer from Messrs Zain, Megat & Murad to Messrs Christopher & Lee Ong, the most recent lawyers decided to withdraw the appeal on Anwar’s instruction, resulting in today’s proceedings.