Thomas stands by just, fair, true and right, says his legal firm
KUALA LUMPUR: The legal firm of senior lawyer Tommy Thomas yesterday welcomed the appointment of Thomas as the new Attorney- General wishing him a successful career ahead.
Lawyers Sitpah Selvaratnam, Alan A.Gomez and Ganesan Nethi from the firm of Tommy Thomas in a statement yesterday said Thomas has done well in his career at the Bar, he relentlessly stood by what was just and fair; true and right.
“So, at a time when our country has resoundingly voted for integrity and accountability, placing Thomas at the helm of the major institution of justice and law, is a true mark of commitment to reform.
“While we shall obviously miss him, we are delighted for our country, as Thomas combined talent, integrity, legal knowledge and experience, gives Malaysia one of its best and brightest barristers as its next Attorney- General.
“We wish him every success as Attorney- General of Malaysia,” they said.
They also said Thomas’ appointment as Attorney- General has naturally filled them with pride. The statement said while the media frequently describes him as a constitutional lawyer, he has actually spent the most part of his 42 years at the Bar practising as a corporate and commercial barrister, having acted successfully in some of the landmark cases on corporate debt and asset recovery : Amos William Dawe and Mosbert; Lian Keow vs Overseas Credit Finance, and Bank Bumiputra vs Lorrain Osman to name a few.
“And more recently, having acted for the Securities Commission against Swiss cash, the worldwide Ponzi scheme hatched in Malaysia – tracing the funds in the Ponzi scheme to banks in Hong Kong, and the Jersey and British Virgin Islands; obtaining worldwide Mareva Injunctions, and to our knowledge, the largest reparation of funds for the victims of the Ponzi scheme,” they said.
The law firm also said Thomas successfully led their team in two of the best known bond recovery cases in the Courts of Malaysia : Pesaka Astana and Aldwich Berhad.
“And as corporate asset recovery is topical, with the government focused on recovering the assets of 1MDB, there is no doubt in our mind that they have appointed Malaysia’s finest barrister in that field, with the knowledge, experience and industry to lead the 1MDB litigation, whether civil or criminal.
“Some of you may be aware that the breadth and depth of Thomas’ practice is far more than what we have just mentioned.
“He has handled some of Malaysia’s largest and most complex cases, and in addition to his outstanding track record on commercial cases, he has had a strong public law practice, having acted on major judicial review and constitutional matters,” it said.
The firm also stated that a significant percentage of his practice has been pro bono work, for the less privileged and oppressed.
“Thomas brings with him substantial trial and appellate experience, having appeared in all the Courts of Malaysia, and on appeals to the Privy Council in the mid-1980s,” said the firm.
In a statement to Bernama dated June 4, Istana Negara Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said Yang di- Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V had given his consent to the appointment of Tommy Thomas as the new AG in accordance with Article 145 (1) of the Federal Constitution.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad nominated Thomas, 66, to replace Mohamed Apandi, 68, who was given 30 days unrecorded leave from May 15, 2018.
Thomas who hails from Kuala Lumpur obtained his barristerat-law from the Middle Temple, London and has had more than 150 reported cases and countless unreported cases.
He has been singled out consistently and regularly as one of Malaysia’s leading litigation lawyers by independent international publications such as The Asia Pacific Legal 500, Which Lawyer, Who’s Who Legal ( The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers), Commercial Litigation Lawyers of Asia and Chambers Asia.
in the corporate field, he has appeared in company, liquidation, receivership and insolvency matters.
In the commercial sphere, he has acted in banking, hire purchase, contract, intellectual property, sale of goods, wills, trusts and land law cases.
Thomas has appeared in complex litigation involving bonds and other sophisticated financial instruments.
In public law, Thomas specialises in constitutional and administrative law cases.
He has also been very active in statutory interpretation disputes ranging from petroleum, asset management, securities law and local government.
Thomas has acted in groundbreaking high profile litigation involving two state governments in relation to their off shore oil and gas claims.
He has also acted for two other state governments in constitutional and judicial review disputes.
He has represented regulatory authorities as lead counsel in their complicated civil litigation matters at the apex court. — Bernama