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• Karpal calls for action against Shafee
• Emergency motion against political analyst's lawyer Shafee tabled in Parliament

©Malaysiakini (Used by permission)
by Soon Li Tsin

A motion to will be moved ‘very soon’ for the Dewan Rakyat to debate on the public criticism made by lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is representing the political analyst detained in connection with the murder of a freelance Mongolian model.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby today, Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) said Shafee’s criticism of the two-day remand extension for his client by magistrate Munira Mohd Nor was a breach of professional etiquette.

“Only the public prosecutors have a right to comment on the political analyst’s remand extension, not Shafee,” said the MP, who is a renowned lawyer himself.

According to Karpal, Shafee (left) has no right to publicly expose his parallel observations of the police investigations.

“Counsel has no right to publicly touch on reasons given for or against an extension of a remand order made in chambers because this would invariably touch upon the conduct of police investigations and amounts to contempt of court,” he said.

Public importance

He said this matter is of ‘public importance’ because the deceased’s family is in the country to observe the course of investigations.

“Police investigations should not be subjected to a judicial officer’s intimidation on the matter [...] the family of the deceased have as much right to justice as a suspect in a criminal proceeding,” he added.

Karpal also urged the Bar Council to look into this as it concerns the entire legal profession and to ensure that Shafee does not set a precedent for lawyers to “comment on something that they cannot comment on.”

Immediately after the analyst’s remand was extended on Sunday, Shafee slammed the police for seeking the extension.

He said that the police should not have asked for a further nine days from the magistrate. The magistrate eventually gave a two-day extension.

Shafee said that the police had no reason to detain his client any further as they had already taken a statement from the analyst.

Charge him or release him

“They have searched and investigated his office and house and taken his DNA sample,” he was quoted as saying in the media.

“So there is nothing else they need to take from him. All other investigations are now external to him.”

He further said that at the end of the two-day remand extension tomorrow, the police should either charge his client or release him.

“They can release him conditionally or unconditionally; they can charge him or they can release him on a bond pending further investigation,” he added.

Altantuya Sharribuu, 28, was said to be have been kidnapped outside the house of the prominent political analyst, who heads a think-tank linked to a top politician.

The freelance model, who reportedly shared an intimate relationship with the analyst, was shot dead and her body blown up with explosives.

The gruesome murder, which also saw the arrests of police personnel, has made headlines in the country.
 

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