Roz Mawar set the date after hearing submissions from Thomas’s lawyer, Alan Adrian Gomez, and Shahrir’s lawyers, Syed Faisal Al-Edros Syed Abdullah and Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin.

“The court will deliver its decision on Jan 14, 2025, at 9am,” she said.

Thomas filed the application on Aug 26, claiming that Roz Mawar had made numerous baseless findings and statements contradictory to the claims in the lawsuit and the evidence presented in court.

However, Shahrir opposed the application, arguing that the judge should not recuse herself simply because Thomas was dissatisfied with her reasoning.

On July 3, Roz Mawar dismissed Thomas’s application to strike out the lawsuit. The case was scheduled for a full hearing over seven days, from March 9 to 12 and April 27 to 29, 2026.

Shahrir, a former Johor Bahru MP, filed the lawsuit in December last year, naming Thomas, former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Latheefa Koya, MACC, and the government as defendants.

Shahrir’s lawsuit concerns a RM1 million cheque he received from former prime minister Najib Razak for restoration work on the Puri Langkasuka housing project in Larkin, Johor.

Thomas, who served as AG from June 4, 2018 to Feb 28, 2020, refuted Shahrir’s allegations of abuse of power, describing them as “unsustainable”.

He said the discretion to charge could only be exercised after the AG received the investigation papers from agencies like MACC.

Thomas also said he had resigned on Feb 28, 2020, while Shahrir’s criminal trial for the charges began on July 26, 2022.

High Court judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin acquitted Shahrir on Jan 5, 2023 of failing to declare the RM1 million income received from Najib to the Inland Revenue Board.