Stay of committal proceedings against AG allowed

SHAH ALAM: The Coroner’s Court here has allowed an application by Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas for a stay of the committal proceedings filed against him over statements he made with regards to the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.

Coroner Rofiah Mohamad made the decision after considering the affidavit and submissions by both parties.

Thomas was represented by senior federal counsel S. Narkunavathy, while lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla acted for Muhammad Adib’s family.

The AG had applied for a stay, pending disposal of related appeals.

“I do not have concrete information on the appeals by the respondent, which the High Court considered as a criminal appeal,” said Rofiah.

However, the coroner said she regarded the proceedings to be substantive because if the higher court allowed the appeal, it would eliminate the basis of the committal application.

“If the committal application is postponed, the embarrassing situation can be avoided as the High Court has set the hearing for the appeals,” she said.

The High Court had set Nov 25 to hear an appeal against the Coroner’s Court’s decision, made on Aug 27, in allowing the committal proceedings against the AG.

Rofiah then set Nov 25 for case management of the committal application if the High Court allowed the AG’s application.

On July 16, Muhammad Adib’s father, Mohd Kassim Abdul Hamid, filed an application for a committal order against Thomas for contempt of court, involving the inquest to find the cause of his son’s death.

Muhammad Adib was seriously injured during a riot at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya last year. He died on Dec 17, after 21 days at the National Heart Institute.

On Sept 29, the Coroner’s Court established that Muhammad Adib died after he was assaulted by two or three unidentified people during the riot.