Umno last night once again came to the defence of its candidate for the Permatang Pasir by-election by stating that he was not involved in any fraudulent land transaction personally as a lawyer.

Party information chief Ahmad Maslan said it was Rohaizat Othman's partner who handled the matter on behalf of Koperasi Pekebun Getah Negeri Pulau Pinang Bhd.

permatang pasir by election 180809 rohaizat othman.jpg He said Rohaizat ( right ) became a victim of circumstances after the partner left the law firm.

Rohaizat had to bear the burden of resolving problems arising from the transaction.

He said, in 2002, the cooperative had hired Messrs Saif Ariff T Jayaraj & Rohaizat to represent it in a property purchase in Penang.

He said the cooperative handed over the money to the law firm but later the transaction was cancelled.

"At all material times, the transaction was handled by the partner who had been with the firm from 1999-2003," he told a press conference at the BN election operations room in Bukit Mertajam last night.

The money paid by the cooperative was received exclusively by the partner, who was handling the client's accounts at all material times, Ahmad said.

"Rohaizat's partner was the authorised signatory for the accounts and Rohaizat had no involvement or knowledge about the property transaction."

At the time the cooperative lodged a complaint with the Bar Council's disciplinary board, Rohaizad's partner had left the firm and he (Rohaizat) was named as the respondent - making him a victim of circumstances, said Ahmad.

He added that Rohaizat appeared before the board for the first time on Sept 11, 2007 and on that the day, the board had only questioned a representative of the cooperative.

'MC not accepted'

He said the hearing was postponed to Sept 14 to enable Rohaizat to cross-examine the representative of the cooperative and explain his side of the story.

However, on that day, Rohaizat did not attend the hearing because he was sick and a medical chit on his illness was submitted to the board, he said.

Following that, he said Rohaizat never received any notice from the board until March 14, 2008, when he received a letter stating he had been disbarred.

penanti umno briefing 230509 ahmad mazlan.jpg Ahmad ( right ) said that, in discharging his firm's responsibilities, Rohaizat had refunded monies due to the cooperative. The cooperative wrote to the disciplinary board on March 28, 2008 to retract the complaint, as all their claims had been settled.

This, he said, showed Rohaizat was a leader of quality and did not run away from problems, unlike his partner, and thus could be deemed a "hero".

As such, he said, allegations by certain quarters that Rohaizat is a person without integrity were not true.

NONE Also at the the press conference were Penang Umno legal adviser Abu Bakar As-Sidek Mohd Sidek, Rohaizat, Penang Umno deputy chief Zainal Abidin Osman and a representative of the cooperative.

The BN is involved in a straight fight for the state seat. Polling is on Aug 25.

Rohaizat himself had nothing to say about his situation as a lawyer.

Speaking to reporters during his campaign rounds in Sama Gagah yesterday, he said Pakatan's call for him to withdraw had exposed the coalition's fear of losing the electoral battle.

"PAS should stand up to face me, not call me to quit at such an early stage. It clearly shows they are scared of losing to me," he said.

He further said Pakatan had indulged in a character assassination campaign against him, and dismissed suggestions that the Bar's disclosure would jeopardise his chances of winning.

"This is a democracy and I am eligible to contest. Since Umno nominated me, I shall concentrate on winning the seat. PAS has failed to be ready for the election," he said, adding that so far no voters have raised the issue with him.

Malaysian Bar's stand

Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously clarified Rohaizat's role in the transaction, stating that he is a clean candidate.

Yesterday the Malaysian Bar said Rohaizat's practising licence was revoked following problems incurred by the former partner in the legal firm.

Bar secretary George Varughese said: "The finding of misconduct is personal to Rohaizat, as the (advocates and solicitors) disciplinary board would not hold a lawyer liable for the actions of his/her law partner(s)."

He said the board struck off Rohaizat, who is also a Syariah legal adviser, on March 7, 2008.

-Bernama