Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Malaysian lawyers face police probe over call for Attorney-General's resignation(Channel NewsAsia)

Three lawyers including Charles Hector Fernandez, Francis Pereira and R Shanmugam, have received letters asking them to go to the police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday for investigations under the Sedition Act.

KUALA LUMPUR: Three lawyers who proposed a motion calling for the resignation of Attorney-General Apandi Ali at the Malaysian Bar's Annual General Meeting have been called in for police questioning.

On Tuesday (Mar 29), Charles Hector Fernandez, Francis Pereira and R Shanmugam received letters from police, asking them to go to the police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur for investigations under the Sedition Act 1948 on Thursday.

On March 19, more than 700 lawyers approved a motion calling for Mr Apandi’s resignation "to restore public confidence perception of the rule of law", criticising his decision to close corruption investigations into Prime Minister Najib Razak and SRC International, a former subsidiary of debt-ridden state-investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Many lawyers believe there was a conflict of interest when Mr Apandi ordered the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to cease its investigations into the alleged corruption.

The three lawyers plan to turn up for the Thursday investigations as requested, Mr Shanmugam told Channel NewsAsia.

Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru blasted the latest move by the Malaysian police, Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM), calling it "unacceptable".

"The action taken by PDRM is unacceptable. It is an interference with the Bar Council’s statutory obligation to convene and conduct the Malaysian Bar’s Annual General Meeting, and the statutory entitlement of Members of the Malaysian Bar to move motions for the consideration of the Malaysian Bar, consistent with the Malaysian Bar’s objects and powers under the Legal Profession Act 1976," he said in a press release.

"The Malaysian Bar urges PDRM to respect the statutory duties of the Bar Council and the statutory rights of Members of the Malaysian Bar."

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