The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) will initiate contempt of court proceedings against lawyer Shafee Abdullah over his “Nazi Germany” comment regarding former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s royal addendum case.
In a statement, the AGC said the remark, made during an ongoing case, was a serious and unwarranted attack on the judiciary’s dignity, authority and independence.
“While lawyers have the right to challenge judicial decisions through legal avenues, public statements that damage the court’s reputation or erode public confidence in the justice system are unacceptable,” the statement read.
The AGC stressed that the matter is of constitutional and institutional importance, and contempt proceedings will be pursued to uphold the rule of law, safeguard the judicial process, and protect the courts from unfounded allegations and public pressure.
Shafee made the controversial remark during a press conference on Thursday, criticising a court order to temporarily halt all proceedings related to the royal addendum. He described the decision as unilateral and likened it to a “Nazi-Germany kind of hearing”.
He argued that the High Court’s stay only applied to ongoing proceedings, and not to future ones such as the contempt hearing involving former attorney-general Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh.
The contempt case stems from Najib’s legal team filing against Terrirudin for declining, in 2024, to reveal in court the existence of a royal addendum that would allow Najib to serve the remainder of his six-year jail term under house arrest. Najib filed the application on 21 May.
Last month, the High Court issued a temporary stay on all proceedings linked to the royal addendum application. This followed the Federal Court’s decision to hear the government’s appeal against a lower court’s ruling in favour of Najib’s judicial review application.
In a follow-up statement today, Shafee said his “Nazi Germany” remark was intended to explain the concept of a judicial decision to the public during a media exchange, and not to criticise the judiciary.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal had granted Najib leave to pursue a judicial review to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest. These proceedings are now on hold pending the Federal Court’s decision on the AGC’s appeal.
In February last year, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced Najib’s sentence from 12 years to six, and cut his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
The AGC’s move highlights its continuing focus on curbing public statements that could undermine confidence in the judiciary.