KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 – The prosecution on Thursday raised concerns over the medical certificate and absence of Tun Daim Zainuddin from court since the former Finance Minister was charged in January for failing to declare his assets.
Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Law Chin How informed the Sessions Court that Daim, 86, was absent from Thursday’s proceedings and that the prosecution had received a medical certificate from the defence issued by Assunta Hospital yesterday, without any explanation as to why he had been admitted.
“We are requesting the hospital to provide a full report on Tun Daim’s condition, and we want the doctor treating him to appear in court to clarify his current health status.
“We also request that the nursing sister who signed the medical certificate appear in court to explain the reason for Tun Daim’s hospital admission, as no reason has been given for his admission or discharge date provided,” he said.
Regarding Daim’s application to amend a notice seeking to refer questions of law related to the charges against him, Law questioned whether the amendment was genuine or instructed by Daim, as it was only made yesterday and not earlier.
According to Law, the application for Daim to undergo a mental evaluation to determine his fitness to stand trial must be heard before proceeding with the hearing related to the questions of law.
“This is because, if it is determined that Tun Daim is unfit to attend court, all subsequent proceedings will be rendered null and void,” he explained.
DPP Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry added that court records show the accused has only attended court once since being charged in January, and the defence has repeatedly sought to excuse Daim’s attendance through medical certificates from Assunta Hospital.
“This matter requires careful consideration, as it has implications for the court, given that the accused has failed to comply with court directives as per the bail conditions granted to him.
Meanwhile, Daim’s lawyer, Datuk Dr. Gurdial Singh Nijar, confirmed that his client had been admitted to Assunta Hospital.
Judge Azura Alwi then said she did not want to escalate the issue of Daim’s absence from court, as she had already issued an order exempting him from attending the proceedings.
