KUALA LUMPUR (July 20): Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said he had requested for the judge hearing Datuk Seri Najib Razak's (BN-Pekan) 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)-Tanore trial to consider letting the former premier attend Parliament to debate the royal address.

During the sitting today, Chang Lih Kang (PH-Tanjong Malim) raised the question, noting media reports that said that High Court Judge Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah received a letter from the Speaker for Najib to attend Parliament.

"During the morning session, he applied for a postponement of his case in order to attend Parliament but it was dismissed.

"In Malaysia, we have the doctrine of the separation of powers which states that the court, the executive and Parliament are equal. Parliament reigns supreme in the UK, but here they are all equal," said Azhar.

"As I set his slot at 3.40pm, I asked the judge to consider the request to let Pekan (Najib) attend Parliament," he added.

In response, Chang suggested that this would set a precedent for other MPs that have active court cases to skip going to court in order to debate in Parliament.

However, the Speaker repeated that he himself set the slot time for Najib and therefore merely requested for the judge to consider a postponement of the trial and that it was not an order.

He also said that the timing of slots given to the MPs is at his discretion.

Last Thursday, Justice Sequerah allowed the 1MDB-Tanore trial to end earlier than usual for Najib to go to Parliament, although he warned that applications such as this should have been made to the court in advance. Otherwise, he would not entertain such requests.

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