©The Star (Used by permission)
by M. MAGESWARI
PUTRAJAYA: The retired investigating officer in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy II case is allowed to practise law, the Court of Appeal ruled.
With that decision, Judy Blacious Pereira (also known as Jude Pereira) (pic) is looking forward to set up his own firm in Ipoh.
On Monday, Court of Appeal judge Justice David Wong Dak Wah dismissed an appeal by the Bar Council against the decision of the Ipoh High Court on Dec 17 last year, which allowed Pereira's petition to be admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.
"We find no reason to disturb (findings of the High Court) in this appeal. The appeal is dismissed, said Justice Wong, who delivered the unanimous decision.
The panel includes Court of Appeal judges Justice Abdul Rahman Sebli and Justice Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham.
There is no order as to costs as the Bar Council's lead counsel Malik Imtiaz Sarwar argued that it was only carrying out its duties as a statutory body.
Speaking to reporters here, Pereira said he wanted to set up a law firm in Ipoh but the Bar Council has yet to issue a consent to enable him to practise.
"I have already been called to the Bar on March 31. I cannot set up my own law firm in Ipoh until the Council issued a consent for me to do so," he said.
Pereira, 62, said he was told that his application could not be processed until disposal of the appeal.
He said he had already attended courses on human rights following the orders of the High Court, which is part of the requirements to be called to the Bar.
Earlier, his lead counsel Dominic Selvam argued that his client has a good character and that the Ipoh High Court judge was correct in allowing Jude's petition.
He said Pereira had not been subjected to any disciplinary proceedings and he did not have any criminal investigations against him for misconduct.
However, Malik argued that the provisions of the Legal Profession Act did not empower the High Court judge to impose conditions on Jude's admission to be a lawyer.
In his ruling last year, Justice Lee Swee Seng directed Pereira to undergo eight hours of human rights training with the Bar Council within three months.
In turning down an objection by the Bar Council, Justice Lee said his ruling should not be viewed as a punishment but as a time of effective rehabilitation for the petitioner.
The Bar Council had objected to his admission, citing a Suhakam inquiry into a case involving the arrest of five lawyers during a candlelight vigil, which held that Pereira was not a credible witness.