Bar to look into Tan Sri lawyer’s possible misconduct
We will act regardless of the personalities involved, says its president Lim Chee Wee.
Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT
The Bar Council today assured that it would make all necessary enquiries to ascertain the identity of the lawyers involved in the drafting of private investigator P Balasubramaniam’s second statutory declaration (SD).
Its chairman, Lim Chee Wee, today said that the Malaysian Bar will act in accordance with due process regardless of the personalities or circumstances.
He said this in a statement in light of recent allegations by carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan that a ‘Tan Sri’ lawyer and his son had been involved in the preparation of the second SD.
The second SD has since reversed an earlier one Balasubramaniam had signed, which implicated Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.
“If there is cogent evidence to suggest professional misconduct, we will not hesitate to lodge a complaint with the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board [ASDB] and prosecute the complaint,” Lim said.
He said it will then be the responsibility of the ASDB to adjudicate the matter and to mete out appropriate disciplinary punishment.
He urged anyone with compelling evidence of professional misconduct in this matter to submit a complaint with the ASDB.
“We are prepared to render assistance to any would-be complainant, in having his or her complaint properly directed to the ASDB,” Lim said.
“We urge those who have knowledge in this matter to be less hesitant, and more forthright,” he added.
He stressed the seriousness of the matter, saying it could not “be resolved on an indulgence of surmise, conjecture or deductions [simple or otherwise)”.
“To do so would be to sacrifice due process [including natural justice] at the altar of expediency or convenience,” he said.
“This would ultimately compromise the proper determination of the matter.”
In a previous report, the Tan Sri lawyer was revealed to be Cecil Abraham, who sits on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) panel.
In exposing the lawyer’s identity, former member of MACC advisory panel, Robert Phang, urged Abraham to come forward and verify the claims.
However, Balasubramaniam’s lawyer, Americk Singh Sidhu, stressed that Abraham was a “barrister of the highest integrity” and maintained that it was “unthinkable” for Abraham to have been involved in the preparation of the second SD.
He also claimed that Balasubramaniam was forced to sign the second SD because of threats to the safety of his wife and children.
