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The recent case of a lawyer who was cited for contempt and sentenced to six months imprisonment for appearing in Court without a valid Practising Certificate has caused some concern among members of the Bar and members of the public. The Bar Council would like to emphasise that a lawyer who is not in possession of a valid Practising Certificate is not authorised to practise as an Advocate and Solicitor at all until he obtains a valid Practising Certificate.

The Bar Council supported a stay of execution of the sentence of imprisonment pending appeal against sentence on the general principle that to do otherwise might render the appeal meaningless should the Court of Appeal hear and allow the appeal after he has served some, or all, of the term of imprisonment.

Approximately 1000 lawyers were not in possession of a valid Practising Certificate as at 1st January, this year. However, that figure does not indicate that such lawyers were practising illegally as some of them may have ceased practise for one reason or another.

The Bar Council Secretariat's records show that as at 1.2.2000 there were 635 lawyers without Sijil Annual/Practising Certificates. Out of that figure, 111 lawyers informed the Bar Council that they had ceased practise. Another 395 lawyers were issued with the Sijil Annual after 1.2.2000. As at 21st April, 2000 there were 129 lawyers without a valid Practising Certificate and the Council has commenced Injunction proceedings against them. As at 9.5.2000, Injunction proceedings have been withdrawn against 55 members as they have either informed the Council that they have ceased practise or they have been issued with a valid Sijil Annual/Practising Certificate. The Council is proceeding with Injunction proceedings against the remaining 74 members.

Under Section 37 (1) (a) and (b) of the Legal Profession Act 1976, no unauthorised person shall act as an advocate and solicitor including acting as an agent for any party to proceedings, sues out any writ, summons or process, carries on, solicits or defends any action, suit or other proceedings in the name of any other person in any Courts in Malaysia or draws or prepares any instrument relating to any proceedings in any Courts.

Lawyers who are carrying on practice as an advocate and solicitor without a valid Practising Certificate shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both.

Further Section 37 (7) provides that "Any person who does any act relating to a contemplated or instituted proceeding in the High Court which act is an offence under this section shall also be guilty of a contempt of the Court in which the proceeding is contemplated or instituted and may be punished accordingly irrespective of whether he is prosecuted for the offence or not".

The Bar Council advises members of the public that they have the right to enquire from the lawyers acting for them as to whether they have a valid Practising Certificate to practise. In the alternative, the public having dealings with an Advocate and Solicitor may also contact the Bar Council Secretariat in order to obtain such information. The same advice is given to pupils in relation to Advocates and Solicitors who are their Masters as time spent with a Master while he does not have a valid Practising Certificate would not be considered to be valid pupillage.

In the event a lawyer is found practising without a valid Practising Certificate the public is invited to inform the Bar Council or directly lodge a complaint with the Advocates and Solicitors' Disciplinary Board at No. 4, 1st and 2nd Floor, Medan Pasar, 50050 Kuala Lumpur (Tel. No: 03-2041911 / Fax No: 03-2012163).

Dated: 9th May, 2000.

HAJI SULAIMAN ABDULLAH
PENGERUSI
MAJLIS PEGUAM
 

KENYATAAN UMUM MENGENAI PEGUAM TANPA SIJIL AMALAN

Kes baru-baru ini mengenai seorang peguam yang didapati bersalah kerana menghina mahkamah dan dihukum penjara selama enam bulan kerana hadir di Mahkamah tanpa Sijil Amalan yang sah telah menarik perhatian di kalangan ahli Badan Peguam dan orang ramai. Majlis Peguam ingin menegaskan bahawa seorang peguam yang tidak memiliki Sijil Amalan yang sah tidak berhak sama sekali beramal sebagai seorang peguambela dan peguamcara sehingga beliau memperolehi Sijil Amalan yang sah.

Majlis Peguam telah menyokong permohonan penangguhan pelaksanaan hukuman penjara sementara menunggu rayuan terhadap hukuman berdasarkan prinsip umum bahawa sekiranya dibuat sebaliknya, mungkin rayuan berkenaan tidak bermakna sekiranya Mahkamah Rayuan membicarakan dan membenarkan rayuan itu setelah ahli berkenaan menjalankan sebahagian atau keseluruhan tempoh hukuman tersebut.

Lebih kurang 1000 peguam tidak memiliki Sijil Amalan yang sah pada 1 Januari, tahun ini. Walau bagaimanapun angka tersebut tidak bermakna bahawa kesemua peguam berkenaan telah beramal secara tidak sah kerana kemungkinan sebahagian daripada mereka telahpun berhenti beramal atas sebarang sebab.

Rekod Sekretariat Majlis Peguam menunjukkan bahawa pada 1 Februari, 2000 terdapat 635 peguam tanpa Sijil Annual/Sijil Amalan. Dari jumlah tersebut, 111 peguam telah memberitahu Majlis Peguam bahawa mereka telah berhenti beramal. 395 peguam yang lain telah dikeluarkan Sijil Annual selepas 1 Februari, 2000. Pada 21 April, 2000 terdapat 129 peguam tanpa Sijil Amalan yang sah dan Majlis Peguam telahpun memulakan prosiding injunksi terhadap mereka. Pada 9 Mei, 2000 prosiding Injunksi telah ditarik balik terhadap 55 ahli kerana mereka telahpun memberitahu Majlis Peguam bahawa mereka telah berhenti beramal ataupun mereka telah dikeluarkan Sijil Annual/Sijil Amalan yang sah. Majlis Peguam sedang meneruskan prosiding Injunksi terhadap baki 74 ahli itu.

Di bawah seksyen 37 (1) (a) dan (b) Akta Profesion Undang-Undang 1976 tiada seorang takberkuasa boleh bertindak sebagai peguambela dan peguamcara termasuk bertindak sebagai ejen bagi mana-mana pihak kepada pembicaraan, memohon serta mendapatkan apa-apa writ, saman atau proses, meneruskan atau membela apa-apa tindakan, guaman atau lain-lain prosiding atas nama mana-mana orang lain dalam mana-mana mahkamah di Malaysia atau membuat atau menyediakan sesuatu suratcara berkenaan dengan mana-mana prosiding di mana-mana mahkamah.

Peguam yang menjalankan amalan sebagai peguambela dan peguamcara tanpa Sijil Amalan yang sah adalah bersalah atas satu kesalahan dan boleh apabila disabitkan dikenakan denda tidak lebih daripada dua ribu lima ratus ringgit atau penjara selama tempoh tidak lebih daripada enam bulan atau kedua-duanya.

Seterusnya Seksyen 37 (7) memperuntukkan bahawa "Jika seseorang melakukan sesuatu perbuatan berhubung dengan suatu langkah pembicaraan yang dicadangkan atau dibawa dalam Mahkamah Tinggi dan perbuatan itu adalah suatu kesalahan di bawah seksyen ini, maka orang itu adalah juga bersalah atas perbuatan menghinakan Mahkamah dalam mana langkah pembicaraan itu dicadangkan atau dibawa dan boleh dihukum dengan sewajarnya tidak kira sama ada ia didakwa bagi kesalahan itu atau tidak".

Majlis Peguam menasihatkan orang ramai bahawa mereka berhak bertanya kepada peguam yang mewakili mereka sama ada peguam itu memiliki Sijil Amalan yang sah untuk beramal. Selain daripada itu orang ramai yang berurusan dengan seorang Peguambela dan Peguamcara juga boleh menghubungi Sekretariat Majlis Peguam untuk mendapatkan maklumat yang sedemikian. Nasihat yang sama ditujukan kepada pelatih peguam ("pupils") berkaitan dengan Peguambela dan Peguamcara yang menjadi Pengajarnya ("Master") oleh kerana tempoh masa bersama dengan seorang "Master" semasa beliau tidak memperolehi Sijil Amalan yang sah tidak akan diambil kira sebagai tempoh latihan yang sah.

Sekiranya didapati bahawa seseorang peguam itu sedang beramal tanpa Sijil Amalan yang sah orang ramai diminta memberitahu Majlis Peguam atau memfailkan aduan terus dengan Lembaga Tatatertib Peguam-Peguam di No. 4, Tingkat 1 dan 2, Medan Pasar, 50050 Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2041911 /Faks: 03-2012163).

Bertarikh : 9 Mei, 2000

HAJI SULAIMAN ABDULLAH
PENGERUSI
MAJLIS PEGUAM

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