Shafee: I've serious issues with closed-door criticism of me

Veteran lawyer Shafee Abdullah has no qualms with going public with "fair" criticisms on the judiciary, Anwar Ibrahim, and other lawyers in public.

However, he said he is totally against the Malaysian Bar discussing his conduct as a lawyer in closed-door meetings.

"I have serious issues with that," Shafee said while being cross-examined by Ambiga Sreenavasan at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

Shafee had filed a suit against senior lawyer Tommy Thomas, former Court of Appeal judge VC George, the Malaysian Bar, and then Bar Council president Christopher Leong last year.

The suit was to stop Thomas and George from tabling a motion in the AGM, which called for Shafee to be brought to the Bar's disciplinary board for the road-shows and interviews that he had given after securing Anwar's conviction at the Federal Court.

They said Shafee's actions of holding press conferences in criticising Anwar violated Rules 5(a), 31, 32, 33 and 49 of the Legal Profession (Practice and Etiquette) Rules 1978, and that Anwar who is serving time in prison cannot reply to the claims.

[More to follow]

-Mkini