Bar Council to hold EGM to discuss allegations of judicial intimidation

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — The Bar Council will hold an emergency general meeting (EGM) to discuss matters related to the alleged intimidation of the judiciary, said chairman Karen Cheah.

In a statement today, Cheah said the full details of the EGM will be finalised after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays.

“The required statutory EGM notice will be issued to all members of the Bar accordingly by tomorrow (May 5).

“We hope to see the attendance of members of the Bar across the nation including our past presidents, to express their thoughts on this issue and to vote on motions that would be significant to the future of our judiciary as an indispensable and crucial institution,” said the president of the Malaysian Bar.

Earlier, Malaysian Bar presidents Datuk Mah Weng Kwai, Datuk Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Yeo Yang Poh, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, Datuk Lim Chee Wee and Steven Thiru launched an online petition urging the Bar Council to stand up against the alleged intimidation of the judiciary.

This included organising a “walk for justice”, similar to one previously held in 2007, to demonstrate support for the judiciary.

Cheah acknowledged this in her statement.

“I am fully aware of the petition by members of the Bar to hold a walk, and as a matter of record, the Bar Council has been putting in all its efforts to discuss the matter, even prior to such a petition

“As a matter of record, a press statement of the Bar Council’s position on the issue of the preserving the independence of the judiciary and maintaining public confidence in the judiciary as an indispensable institution for the existence of the rule of law in any democratic society had already been issued on April 25,” she said,

Cheah added that the Bar Council had on April 29, also held an emergency meeting to address the issue of allegations of judicial intimidation and collectively decided that we will be calling for an EGM on an urgent basis, in exercise of our statutory duties under the Legal Profession Act 1976.

“The upcoming EGM will discuss the possible options available to the Malaysian Bar, as well as to ventilate and debate on motions tabled by the Bar Council, as well as any other motions which we may receive seven days prior to the EGM by members of the Bar,” she said.

The petition came following the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation into Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Ghazali.