Attorney-General Tommy Thomas cited several reasons why lawyer Syazlin Mansor should have declined to act on behalf of the Housing and Local Government Ministry as well as the Fire and Rescue Department.
He was responding to the debate surrounding Syazlin’s withdrawal yesterday from the inquest to determine firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s cause of death.
Thomas said like all ministries and government departments, the housing ministry and fire department are required to seek legal advice from the AG’s Chambers with regard to appointing an external counsel.
He also noted that Syazlin was in a conflict of interest position when she agreed to act for the ministry and fire department as she was also acting for Adib’s family.
“Thirdly, my officers, who are performing their traditional role as counsel assisting the coroner, have informed me that Syazlin takes an active part in the inquest, often contradicting the positions our DPPs have taken, thus causing embarrassment in her capacity as the ministry’s lawyer.
“Fourthly, Syazlin’s husband is employed as press secretary to the housing minister (Zuraida Kamaruddin).SY
“It is for these reasons I requested the housing minister to immediately revoke her appointment from further representing the ministry and the Fire Department,” he added in a statement this evening.
However, Thomas said he was shocked to learn that Syazlin (photo) also withdrew from representing the deceased’s family.
“That decision was voluntarily made by her, without any influence from the chambers,” he added.
“DPP Faten requested Syazlin to continue to represent the family so that the inquest proceedings could proceed and (forensics expert) Prof Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid could be called to further testify.
“Syazlin was however firm on her decision to withdraw,” she added.
Thomas also explained that Syazlin’s withdrawal would not affect Sharom’s status as an expert witness.
Shahrom had testified that Adib was pulled out of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicle and assaulted during the Seafield temple riots on Nov 27.
This had contradicted the testimonies of two government-appointed forensic experts, who claimed that Adib fell from the vehicle and that his injuries were due to being hit by the vehicle when it backed into him in an attempt to escape an advancing mob.
Adib, 24, succumbed to his injuries at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 17. – MKINI
AG told us to withdraw lawyer from Adib’s inquest, says housing ministry
KUALA LUMPUR: The housing and local government ministry said today it directed Syazlin Mansor, who was representing it at the inquest into the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, to withdraw following a request from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
Nor Hizwan Ahmad, the political secretary to Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin, also defended the appointment of Syazlin Mansor as the ministry’s lawyer.
He revealed in a statement that Syazlin is the wife of Zuraida’s press secretary and that she had carried out her work “without payment and in the spirit of public service”.
Nor Hizwan said the ministry was making the clarification following a report quoting an unnamed source at the AGC saying that Zuraida had appointed a lawyer to represent the Fire and Rescue Department in the Adib inquest without the knowledge of the AGC.
“This is a misleading statement which does not give a full picture of what transpired,” he said.
He said Syazlin was appointed at an early stage to ensure and assist in the discovery of the facts surrounding the death of Adib.
This was a matter of great importance to the Fire and Rescue Department and the ministry, as a member of the department had died in the course of carrying out his duty, he said.
He said Syazlin had been representing the department and the ministry since the inquest commenced on Feb 11.
“No objections were raised by any of the parties involved in the inquest throughout the course of the inquest which is nearing its end.
“Now, upon receipt of a letter from the AG dated May 23 requesting that the appointment of the ministry’s lawyer be revoked, the ministry immediately acted in accordance with the AG’s advice and instructed its lawyer to withdraw from the inquest,” he said.
The Edge Financial Daily had reported that Syazlin was asked to be removed from representing the ministry over fears of a conflict of interest.
It said Syazlin was representing both the ministry and Adib’s family.
“This creates a conflict of interest should Adib’s family decide to sue the government later,” it quoted an unnamed source in the AGC as saying.
The report said Syazlin’s appointment as the ministry’s lawyer and counsel for the Fire and Rescue Department by Zuraida was done without approval from the AGC as the ministry had its own legal officers.
Another report yesterday had quoted Zuraida as saying that Syazlin’s services were withdrawn as her role was redundant because the AG acted for both the ministry and the fire department.
In informing coroner Rofiah Mohamad that she was withdrawing from representing the ministry, Syazlin said her exit would render invalid the status of former forensic specialist Dr Shahrom Abd Wahid, the 29th witness.
Shahrom and another forensic expert, Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi, who performed the post-mortem on Adib, had clashed over calculations on the force of impact of an emergency vehicle in causing Adib’s broken ribs.
Adib, 24, died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Dec 17 following injuries sustained during a riot outside the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27. – FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
Ummah mulls mass protest after withdrawal of Adib’s lawyer
Gerakan Pembela Ummah, the movement behind the rallies against the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) and Rome Statute, is mulling a mass protest over the withdrawal of the lawyer representing late firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s family.
Yesterday, lawyer Syazlin Mansor announced she was quitting from the inquest into Adib’s death. She had represented Adib’s family and the Housing and Local Government Ministry, which oversees the Fire and Rescue Department.
Ummah chairperson Aminuddin Yahaya demanded that the government reveals the reason for Syazlin’s withdrawal, which he said has given rise to speculation about conspiracies and attempts to influence the outcome of the inquest.
“Ummah, on behalf of the people, demand that the letter instructing Syazlin to withdraw be revealed so that the people can know who wrote it and the reason for her withdrawal.
“We also demand that Syazlin, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin and Attorney-General (Tommy Thomas) are summoned as witnesses in the inquest so that the court can investigate if there was any pressure of devious instruction from certain quarters.
“Ummah also does not rule out organising mass people’s rallies to demand justice for Adib if there is no positive action from those responsible,” Aminuddin told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
Demanding AG’s sacking
Aminuddin said a memorandum would be sent to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to demand Thomas’ sacking.
The group has also started an online petition demanding Thomas’ resignation over his handling of the Adib case.
Yesterday, Syazlin (above) revealed that she was quitting after meeting with Zuraida. She declined to reveal the reason for her withdrawal.
Zuraida told Malaysiakini that Syazlin withdrew from the case because her role was redundant.
Syazlin had said her withdrawal would also nullify Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid’s appointment as an expert witness.
Shahrom had told the court that Adib sustained his injuries after he was pulled out of an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicle and assaulted on Nov 27 during the Seafield temple riots.
His testimony contradicted that of two other experts, who told the court that Adib fell from the vehicle and that his injuries were due to being hit by the vehicle when it backed into him in an attempt to escape an advancing mob.
Adib, 24, succumbed to his injuries at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 17. – MKINI
MKINI / FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
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