Case involving ex-Bar chief 'tarnishing' judiciary classified as NFA

 

The authorities have marked a police report lodged by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat’s special officer over messages that purportedly brought disrepute to the judiciary as ‘No Further Action (NFA)’.

According to a report by The Edge Markets today, the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) made this classification after the AGC returned the investigation papers.

The business daily reported that the authorities also cleared lawyer Lim Chee Wee (above), a former Bar Council chairperson whose name allegedly turned up in messages linked to last year's allegation of judicial fixing.

“The investigation (into Lim) has been referred to the prosecution division of the AGC and a directive has been obtained from them, namely that the matter is classified as NFA,” Sepang district police chief Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof was quoted in a letter dated March 22.

The probe was carried out under Sections 500 and 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA).

Sections 500 and 504 refer to the offence of defamation and intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace respectively. Section 233 is in relation to the offence of improper use of facilities or networks.

Bumiputra equity issue

The Edge Markets also quoted Lim’s counsel Ragunath Kesavan as confirming the NFA classification.

"I confirm that we received from the police their letter stating that the judiciary's police report has been classified as NFA.

“The police have confirmed that my client was not involved in any way in the allegations in the police report,” said Ragunath, who had also once headed the Bar Council.

The judicial-fixing allegation arose last year from a court case linked to the bumiputera equity issue of the Malaysian unit of Norway’s largest oil services firm, Aker Solutions ASA.

On June 15 last year, the news portal Free Malaysia Today reported that Tengku Maimun’s senior officer lodged the police report against a senior lawyer for purportedly bringing the judiciary into disrepute.

Five days later, Lim reportedly dismissed the messages as being fabrications and lodged a police report over the matter.

Then on June 19 last year, news portal Sarawak Report reported the judicial-fixing allegation, uploading screenshots of the alleged messages. - Mkini