KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — The Shah Alam Coroner’s Court today allowed the bid by Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s family to launch contempt proceedings against Attorney General (AG) Tommy Thomas for disrupting the inquest on the fireman’s death.
Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported Coroner Rofiah Mohamad as saying the family had proven a prima facie case against Thomas.
“Whether it was interference or scandalising (the court), it falls under the ambit of contempt.
“So it is fair for the AG to explain himself,” she was quoted saying by FMT.
Rofiah also took into consideration the suggestion by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) for lawyer Syazlin Mansor to be discharged from representing the Housing and Local Government Ministry, which had interrupted the inquest hearing.
Rofiah said since Syazlin had told the court that she was discharging herself, the hearing which was supposed to continue on May 27 with the ministry’s expert witness had to be aborted.
Case mention will be held on Sept 23.
Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla represented the family today while senior federal counsel S Narkunavathy appeared for the AGC.
Haniff told reporters later that the family wanted Thomas to apologise in court and has no intention of punishing him.
Rofiah will deliver the court’s verdict on Adib’s death on Sept 27.
On July 16, lawyers representing Muhammad Adib’s family filed an ex parte application against Thomas claiming he was in contempt of court over an affidavit by the AGC stating how the fireman had died, ahead of the Coroner’s Court ruling on the matter.
The family is upset that the AGC, in an affidavit to the Court of Appeal to answer an application by the Seafield temple task force to join the inquest earlier this year, had said Adib’s injuries or death were not caused by being beaten up.
They had also claimed that Thomas attempted to stop Syazlin from exercising her duty as a lawyer.
The inquest to determine the cause of death of Muhammad Adib came to a close on July 24 after 41 days of hearings that began on February 11.
