Come clean on AG’s deal with private lawyer to prosecute Anwar, Putrajaya told

(Malay Mail Online) – With just hours to the Federal Court hearing for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy conviction challenge tomorrow, a PKR lawmaker pressed the government tonight to explain its reasons for hiring a private lawyer to carry out the public prosecutor’s duty.

The controversial appointment of Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has been raging for months since the Attorney-General settled on the prominent senior lawyer in private practice to lead the prosecution team on the government’s behalf, and continued in Parliament this evening.

“With hundreds of prosecutors at your disposal, why hire a private lawyer?” Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul asked during his turn in debating the Budget 2015.

“Why, specifically, hire Shafee and what was promised to this lawyer?” he continued.

The opposition MP also demanded the government disclose how much it was paying Muhammad Shafee, and suggested that the remuneration must have been “something big”.

The issue concerning Muhammad Shafee’s hire had been raised previously in June, with the de facto law minister Nancy Shukri saying then that the fees paid to the private lawyer were “confidential”.

In her parliamentary written reply, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the government had taken on Muhammad Shafee “for his expertise and experience in handling criminal cases” and was being paid a “nominal” fee.

Anwar has also repeatedly challenged the appointment of Muhammad Shafee to the prosecution team, arguing a conflict of interest as the private lawyer has on numerous times acted for Umno.

But on October 14, the Federal Court dismissed Anwar’s final attempt to disqualify Shafee.

The top court insisted that Muhammad Shafee is fit and has the proper credentials to lead the prosecution when the appeal is brought before the court.

Anwar, the de facto head of the Pakatan Rakyat opposition bloc, was convicted by the Court of Appeal on March 7 this year of sodomising a former male aide in 2008.

The appellate court effectively overruled a High Court verdict in 2012 to acquit the PKR leader.

If Anwar fails to reverse his conviction and sentence in the Federal Court tomorrow, the Permatang Pauh MP would lose his seat as the law bars anyone fined RM2,000 or imprisoned for one year from serving as a lawmaker.