Syariah lawyers, including ex-Johor Sultanah’s counsel, receive practicing certificate
(TMI) – The former Sultanah of Johor, who is seeking to set aside an order that her late husband Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail had divorced her, will get her case heard by the syariah court on Monday after all, now that her lawyer has received the certificate of practice.
Johor Syariah Lawyers Association chairman Yunos Ismail said lawyers received their licence to appear in religious courts today, four days ahead of a notice that they would be barred unless they produced the certificate of practice.
“Those who had paid their renewal fees and had all their documents in order received their certificates of practice,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Among them was lawyer Afshah Arifin (pic), who will represent the former Sultanah of Johor, Tuanku Zanariah Tunku Ahmad when her case comes up at the Johor Syariah High Court on January 20.
The Malaysian Insider had on Jan 10 reported that Tuanku Zanariah may have to represent herself after the Johor Syariah Judicial Department announced that no syariah lawyer can appear in court from January 20 onwards without producing a certificate of practice.
The announcement came in a letter dated January 5 and was addressed to Yunos. It was signed by the chief registrar of the Johor Syariah Judicial Department Lokman Hakim Tuan
Kamaludin.
Tuanku Zanariah, who is also a former Raja Permaisuri Agong, on January 1 filed an application to set aside a court order dated September 30, 2010.
The order stated that the late sultan had divorced Tuanku Zanariah by “talak tiga” and, therefore, the revocation (resumption of conjugal relationship) of the divorce made a week later, was invalid.
The announcement by the Johor Syariah Judicial Department had shocked syariah lawyers not only in Johor but other states as well.
