Thomas hired 23 outside lawyers without following procedure, says report

 

A special task force said Tommy Thomas had not maintained the standards of ethics and decorum expected of an attorney-general.

PETALING JAYA: Tommy Thomas sidelined his own officers while he was attorney-general in appointing some 23 external lawyers to act on behalf of the government without following the procedure, according to a government report.

The report, by a special task force that investigated allegations raised about Thomas’s memoir, said the appointment of so many external lawyers to represent the federal government “has not happened” in the history of the Malaysian civil service.

It described the appointments as inappropriate and highly contentious, noting that the external lawyers were appointed to handle “high-profile cases which allows them access to highly confidential documents and information”.

Among those appointed by Thomas were British lawyers Toby Landau and Luke Parsons, both King’s Counsel, as well as firms based in Singapore and Los Angeles.

The task force noted that Thomas had said in his memoir that lawyers in the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) “did not have the same commitment, passion and drive” as members of the Malaysian Bar.

As head of the AGC, Thomas should have made suggestions to overcome the various shortcomings, the task force said.

Instead, he had sidelined his officers, saying they were incompetent and inexperienced and made external appointments not in accordance with the procedure which must be adhered to by the service head of the legal services.

The task force also criticised Thomas for not maintaining the standards of ethics and decorum expected of an attorney-general, an elite position in government.

“As such, a memoir of this kind by a former AG, mostly containing information without justification and evidence, is inappropriate,” the task force said.

Recommendation on AG’s power

The committee also called for guidelines to be set on the power of the AG and public prosecutor to appoint external lawyers to represent the government.

The guidelines should guarantee transparency and integrity, while eliminating any conflict of interest.

“The task force proposes that the appointment of lawyers in civil and criminal cases should be made by the AG at the request of the head of the division handling such cases.” - FMT