Singapore AGC demands apology from lawyer over Malaysian’s drug case

 

The Singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers is threatening to have a lawyer reported to the Law Society and have his licence suspended. (AFP pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers has demanded a human rights lawyer apologise for accusing it of “malicious prosecution” in the way it had conducted a drug case against a Malaysian, who had been on death row.

Deputy AG Hri Kumar Nair, in a letter, said that lawyer M Ravi’s statement to the media after the Court of Appeal’s decision on security guard Gobi Avedian’s case was “highly defamatory”.

Yesterday, the court, in allowing Gobi’s review, convicted him against a lesser charge of attempting to import drugs. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail, from the date of his arrest in 2014 and was given 10 strokes of the cane.

Gobi was previously convicted for drug trafficking and sentenced to death.

“You made a serious allegation that the public prosecutor acted in bad faith or maliciously in the prosecution of the applicant (Gobi). It is highly and entirely contrary to your obligations as an officer of the court for you to make these unfounded, baseless and misleading allegations.

“In these circumstances, we demand that you apologise and unconditionally retract all the allegations in writing by Thursday,” Hri Kumar said.

If Ravi fails to respond within two days, the Singapore AG’s Chambers said it will file a complaint against him under the country’s Legal Profession Act and Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules. The complaint will be made towards the Law Society of Singapore, a body governing the country’s legal profession.

The prosecution contended that Ravi allegedly said they were “overzealous” in Gobi’s prosecution and that it had “led to the death sentence for him”.

In response, Ravi said on Facebook that he would respond to Hri Kumar’s “threatening and humiliating letter accordingly”, and maintained that he is entitled to make his professional views known as he is Gobi’s lawyer.

“I have taken an oath to honour my duties to my profession and my clients to discharge my duties without any fear or favour. If I am suspended or struck off one day because of this complaint by the AG so be it,” he said.

Ravi also said that he would commence proceedings against the Law Society if it did not do its part to protect lawyers and the independence of the profession by entertaining any further complaints or participating in any harassment by the Singapore AG’s Chambers. - FMT