Bar Council to decide soon on referring Shafee to disciplinary board
The Bar Council will decide soon whether to refer Umno lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to the disciplinary board for professional misconduct after he secured a conviction against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy, its chairman Steven Thiru said.
"We are looking into lodging a complaint. We hope to decide on it soon," he told The Malaysian Insider.
The council could arrive at a decision when the newly-elected office bearers meet this Saturday.
Steven first spoke of the possibility of referring Shafee on March 14 at a news conference soon after he was elected as the new Bar chairman.
Shafee had obtained a fresh injunction to prevent any discussion on his conduct pending the disposal of an inter-parte hearing on the restraining order.
The High Curt has fixed May 13 to hear the injunction and the parties to the suit are the Malaysian Bar, former council chairman Christopher Leong, and lawyers Tommy Thomas and Tan Sri V.C. George.
Steven said the suit was a separate matter.
"We are opposing the injunction. We will also be defending the claim he has brought against us. We deny the allegations of defamation and we will defend the claim to the hilt," he added.
Shafee filed a suit for defamation as well as the injunction to restrain the four from discussing his conduct at the Malaysian Bar annual general meeting on March 14.
He also obtained an ex-parte injunction on March 13 to stop lawyers from debating a motion filed by Thomas and seconded by George at the AGM.
Judge Datuk Asmabi Mohamad had on Tuesday granted Shafee a fresh injunction.
Thomas and George, two senior members of the Malaysian Bar, had urged the council to take action against Shafee over his conduct, following Anwar's conviction by the Federal Court.
They said that from the time the Federal Court convicted Anwar on February 10, Shafee had behaved in a repugnant and obnoxious manner which brought the legal profession into disrepute.
In their motion submitted for the AGM, the two senior lawyers also urged the incoming council for the 2015-2016 term to lodge a report against Shafee with the board.
They said steps had to be taken to further prevent Shafee from bringing the legal profession into disrepute.
Shafee (pic, right), who was appointed by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to lead the prosecution team in the Sodomy II appeal, was accused of wilfully and with impunity:
holding press conferences condemning Anwar who could not respond as a convicted prisoner serving time;
drawing attention to his prowess, allegedly as a top rate prosecutor;
demeaning Anwar and his legal team, and the defence they had relied upon in court proceedings;
giving interviews with the traditional and online media on his performance as prosecutor; and,
organising and participating in nationwide road shows with a political party, with the purpose of insulting a convicted prisoner and for bringing attention to his role in the conviction.
Shafee is said to have violated the Legal Profession (Publicity) Rules 2001 which prohibits lawyers from publicising themselves or their practice in any manner. –April 2, 2015.
