The Attorney-General put it succinctly: "Your Lordship has stolen the thunder."
Judge Augustine Paul stunned the Malaysian capital's High Court yesterday when he ordered a lawyer defending the ousted deputy prime minister, Mr Anwar Ibrahim, be jailed for three months.
There were gasps of surprise in the courtroom. Mr Anwar himself turned to the public gallery and commented "where is the justice now?"
Mr Augustine's speed and determination stirred inevitable questions about Mr Anwar's chances in the trial.
"This does not augur well for Anwar," said Mr Syed Husin Ali, president of the opposition Parti Rakyat Malaysia.
Mr Augustine (53) is the sole judge in the High Court trial and will be responsible for a verdict as in Malaysia there is no jury system. He ordered Mr Zainur Zakaria jailed for three months after the defence lawyer had filed an affidavit by Mr Anwar with the High Court on Saturday.
In the five-page affidavit, Mr Anwar accused the prosecution of offering to strike a bargain with a businessman friend under trial in a separate ammunition case as a means of winning his testimony against the former cabinet minister.
The affidavit was consistent with Mr Anwar's contention that he was the victim of a conspiracy by authorities. Mr Anwar has pleaded not guilty to five charges each of corruption and sodomy.
Mr Augustine wasted no time in lashing out at Mr Zainur when the month-old trial resumed on Monday after the weekend break, calling the affidavit baseless.
"The objective of this affidavit is to project an impression that the entire prosecution is based on fabricated evidence," the judge said. "This is a serious contempt, and I have to act. As I have said before the start of this trial, I will not hesitate to flex every inch of my judicial muscle if need be," he said, ordering Mr Zainur to apologise or face punishment for contempt of court.
When Mr Anwar's lead counsel, Mr Raja Aziz Addruse, objected saying it was a most unusual procedure, the judge shot back: "Well, unusual circumstances demand unusual measures.'
Even the Attorney-General, Mr Mohtar Abdullah, appeared caught off guard by the determination of the judge, who for the first three weeks of trial proceedings had stirred only mild objections.
"It has actually been our intention to file contempt of court proceedings against Zainur at a later stage," he said, "but since your Lordship has stolen the thunder, so to speak, we fully support."
When Mr Zainur refused to apologise to the attorney-general, the judge ordered him jailed for three months saying he had to "ensure the integrity of this trial".
Mr Augustine also issued an arrest warrant for Mr Manjeet Singh Dhillon, who is defending Mr Anwar's former tennis partner in the ammunition case mentioned in the ousted cabinet minister's affidavit.
Mr Zainur won some reprieve when the Court of Appeal suspended his sentence, in exchange for a 10,000 ringgit (£1,800) surety, until it hears his appeal on Friday.
The British QC, Mr Charles Flint, who has observed the Anwar trial for the English Bar human rights committee, said last night that yesterday's proceedings "raise grave concern for the rule of law. It appears to be an extreme use of the powers to punish for contempt of court, which will have the effect of intimidating lawyers for the defence".