SHAH ALAM (Sept 10): The High Court on Thursday was informed that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants to attend proceedings of his defamation suit against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim via tele conference.
Mahathir's lawyer, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, informed Judicial Commissioner Datuk Donald Joseph Franklin that they would make an application under Order 33, Rule 5, of Rules of Court 2012, to limit the scope of the cross-examination of the centenarian former prime minister.
Order 33 seeks to prevent long trials and its Rule 5 entitles the court to decide on issues of fact and law to limit the scope of cross-examination.
Rafique said he would need a month to draft the application. Anwar's lawyer, Phoebe Loi Yean Wei, said she would seek instructions from her client on Mahathir's bid attend proceedings remotely.
Franklin set Oct 14 for Mahathir to file the application, with possible trial dates to be fixed after that.
Mahathir, who turned 101 years old in July, suffered a fall in January and fractured his right hip, resulting in a month-long stay at the National Heart Institute. He has been wheelchair-bound since then.
Malaysia's longest serving prime minister had filed a RM150 million defamation suit against Anwar over allegations made at a PKR congress in March 2023 that Mahathir and his children had amassed wealth and avoiding paying taxes.
Anwar's lawyers subjected Mahathir to intense cross-examination since the trial began in October last year, prompting the centenarian to lament proceedings are being prolonged by their line of questioning.