Justice Hanipah Farikullah held today that Najib’s application to disqualify Alan Gomez and Lai Wei Shiung has no merit.

“Both lawyers would be able to maintain their professionalism and act in the interest of justice,” she said.

The other judges who sat with Hanipah were Justices Azimah Omar and Azhahari Kamal Ramli.

Najib contends that Gomez and Lai cannot represent Thomas in the lawsuit, saying lawyers in a law firm should not represent their partners, consultants and fellow lawyers in contentious matters, as they “cannot act objectively in the interest of justice”.

He applied to disqualify them before the High Court last year, but the application was dismissed by Justice Ahmad Bache, who said a litigant was entitled to engage a lawyer of his choice.

In his suit, Najib claimed that the 1MDB-related charges against him during Thomas’s tenure were “part of a long-planned, premeditated exercise”. He is seeking RM1.94 million in damages.

Thomas was appointed the attorney-general on June 4, 2018, after Pakatan Harapan won the general election and formed the government, with Dr Mahathir Mohamad again assuming the post of prime minister.

He resigned in February 2020.

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