Sabah brings back Brenndon Soh as AG after ‘blunder’ on SLS bid to win back state’s revenue

Malay Mail

KOTA KINABALU, July 2 — Datuk Brenndon Keith Soh was appointed as the Sabah Attorney General (AG) today for a second time, replacing Datuk Nor Asiah Yusof.

Soh was previously the AG from July to November 2020, before he was replaced following the change of government from Parti Warisan to the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition in September that year.

He then became the legal advisor to the chief minister, the role Nor Asiah will now take over.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said Soh, a former Sabah Law Society (SLS) president, will assume the post immediately, with the appointment to last three years.

Nor Asiah previously came under criticism over a “blunder” by a state-appointed lawyer in the SLS’s lawsuit against the federal government to demand Sabah be given a 40-per cent share of state-derived revenue.

The lawyer, Tengku Datuk Fuad Ahmad, caused controversy after saying in court that the claim was “aspirational” and not “an absolute right”, leading to confusion and questions about the state government’s stance in its fight for the state’s rights.

After it was revealed that Fuad had been appointed to represent her, Nor Asiah was criticised for not taking direct charge of the case or providing clear guidance in the matter of such importance to Sabah.

The Court of Appeal has since granted SLS leave to proceed with the judicial review.