LAWYERS PLANNING ‘WALK FOR JUSTICE’
Protest considered over corruption probe into judge who presided over conviction of Najib Razak
Malaysia’s legal community is planning a rare public protest amid anger over a corruption investigation into a prominent judge, an inquiry some lawyers have described as tantamount to judicial interference.
The judge in question, the Court of Appeal’s Nazlan Ghazali, presided over the 2020 conviction of the country’s ex-leader and still influential politician Najib Razak.
His was the first of several major cases linked to the nation’s massive 1MDB financial scandal.
Nazlan has been the subject of smear campaigns following that verdict – which Najib is appealing – and lawyers have insinuated that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) may have breached norms by directly investigating Nazlan following a complaint, instead of having the judiciary scrutinise the matter.
The agency has also come under fire for publicising the inquiry, which lawyers say would undermine the integrity of the entire judiciary even before any finding is made.
The Bar Council said last month that the investigation “undermines the rule of law and creates intimidation and a climate of fear”.
The MACC said it acted within the law in initiating the inquiry, and noted it had investigated other judges in the past.
Now, following Eid al-Fitr festivities in the country at the end of Ramadan, the matter is again coming under scrutiny.
A petition organised on May 4 by six former presidents of the Malaysian Bar, an organisation protecting the interests of the legal fraternity, wants members to rise up in the face of what it calls “a total disregard by certain quarters for the hallowed principle of the independence of the judiciary”.
It is urging lawyers to put their boots on the ground and march. “It is time for the Bar to once again rise and fearlessly defend the institution of the judiciary. It is time to walk,” read the petition.
The sentiment struck a chord with current Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah, who said a special meeting would be arranged to discuss the matter as Eid celebrations are ending.
“Let there be no repeat of attempts to undermine [the judiciary], as was done during one of its darkest hours in 1988,” said Cheah in a statement.
She was referring to that year’s constitutional crisis which saw the highest ranking judge removed and the judiciary relegated to a lower position under the executive and legislative branches, instead of having equal status.
Cheah previously said it was the duty of the bar to protect the integrity of the courts and the judiciary as a whole, as the body can be vocal as it is the nature of courts to steer away from being engrossed in a public debacle.
Still, with the threat against its independence looming, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat last week issued a rare public retort against “certain quarters”, including politicians, who launch unfounded attacks against the judiciary or a particular judge to further their own aims.
“Whilst we cannot control the words or actions of some quarters who are bent on tarnishing or destroying the image of the judiciary, it is within our control to ensure that no one meddles in our affairs,” she said.
After announcing its investigation of Judge Nazlan, the MACC implored Malaysians not to interpret continuing inquiries as indicators of guilt.
“It needs to be stressed that when an investigation is launched against any individual, it does not mean that the individual has committed an offence.”
The commission was adamant it had done nothing wrong, saying it was within its power to investigate any public official, including judges. Furthermore, rather than contravening the doctrine of separation of power, they were instead adhering to it by submitting their findings to Attorney General Idrus Harun. He will decide whether to prosecute.
A march by lawyers is not without precedent in Malaysia.
In 2007, the Malaysian Bar organised the first protest by lawyers over judicial matters in relation to a senior judge appointment fixing scandal involving a prominent lawyer, a deputy minister, the chief justice, business tycoon Vincent Tan and former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
A prominent lawyer and activist in her own right, then-Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan was quoted at the time as saying things were not right in a nation where lawyers felt they had to take to the streets.
“We are walking for justice, we want judicial reform. Lawyers don’t walk every day. When lawyers walk, something is wrong,” Ambiga said.
It is time for the Bar to once again … fearlessly defend the institution of the judiciary
MALAYSIAN BAR PETITION