Board clears Zaid, partners of misconduct in Najib’s SRC appeal

January 22, 2024

Board clears Zaid, partners of misconduct in Najib’s SRC appeal

PETALING JAYA: Zaid Ibrahim has revealed that the Malaysian Bar’s disciplinary board has cleared him and his firm’s partners of any breach of the Legal Profession Act (LPA) or ethical misconduct in relation to former prime minister Najib Razak’s final appeal in the SRC International case in 2022.

The senior lawyer said yesterday, the disciplinary board led by Justice Rohana Yusuf had exonerated him, Liew Teck Huat and M Rueben of any breach of the LPA or legal ethics as alleged by Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah previously.

“At last, the assembly of reasonable men and women made the right decision that we were not to be faulted for doing the best for the client,” Zaid said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

In January last year, FMT reported that the board issued a letter calling on Zaid to show cause over alleged misconduct in Najib’s final appeal in the SRC International corruption case.

The former law minister, who is now a partner in Zaid Ibrahim, Suflan TH Liew & Partners, said the board, an independent body set up to investigate and punish lawyers for professional misconduct, had given him a month to explain.

DISYORKAN UNTUK ANDA :

The complaint, which was brought by the Bar Council, centred on Zaid’s decision to take on Najib’s case and his inability to proceed when the court denied a request for an adjournment.

The former prime minister discharged lead counsel Shafee Abdullah and solicitors Shafee & Co on July 26, 2022, and subsequently appointed Zaid’s firm as his new solicitors and lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik as lead counsel to argue the appeal before the apex court.

Shafee and his firm had appeared for Najib during trial in the High Court and the appeal in the Court of Appeal.

In April 2022 the Federal Court registry fixed Aug 15-26 that year to hear the final appeal.

Hisyam appeared alongside Zaid, Liew, and Rueben to argue a motion previously filed by Shafee & Co on Najib’s behalf seeking to admit new evidence and disqualify trial judge Nazlan Ghazali over an alleged conflict of interest.

A five-member Federal Court bench chaired by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat dismissed the application on Aug 16, 2022, and refused a request for an adjournment of three to four months to enable Najib’s new defence team to prepare for the appeal proper.

Two days later, Hisyam told the bench that Najib had discharged Zaid’s firm as his solicitors, which the court allowed, and sought a discharge of himself as lead counsel, which the court refused.

On Aug 23, 2022, the court affirmed Najib’s conviction and maintained his 12-year jail term and fine of RM210 million or, in default, an additional five years in prison.