A senior Umno leader has admitted that the roadshows held by Umno-linked lawyer-turned-prosecutor Muhammad Shafee Abdullah have backfired.

The official, who did not want to be named, also reiterated that the talk was not sanctioned by the nationalist Malay party.

"The matter was brought up and discussed at length in the Umno headquarters by its central management committee.

"I think enough is enough. I agree the move has backfired and they should pity (Dr) Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her children for the matter being discussed openly, including the in-camera details," the Umno leader told Malaysiakini .

The person added that Umno plays no role, and neither does it support, any initiative of this kind as this matter was brought up in the meeting (to voice the party’s displeasure).

The source also clarified that the talks are organised by non-governmental organisation Bona Fide Friends (BFF), which is led by deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department Razali Ibrahim ( left ).

"Umno is not involved. The small-fry Umno post holders are instigating him (Razali) and BFF. The roadshow is purely the NGO-driven (cause)," the source added.

The person said BFF was specifically set-up to attract more young Malay lawyers to join Umno.

'Lawyers do not gloat on roadshows'

However, it is now a set-up to help organise these sodomy roadshows, which the source said is not an “agreeable matter”.

"Other lawyers, who have won even higher profile cases, do not go on a roadshow to gloat," the source added.

The Umno official further said the party also did not condone the action taken by 100 lawyers who are reported to have criticised Bar Council president Christopher Leong and demanded the retraction of Leong's statement on the Sodomy II Federal Court verdict.

The source said the Malaysian Bar is entitled to have its own views on the matter.

It is understood that Razali and Shafee ( left ), along with BFF secretariat officer Khairul Anuar Rahmat, met at an eatery in Petaling Jaya last night to discuss their future plans.

Razali, a lawyer and a former Umno Youth deputy chief, is now a party supreme council member.

Umno information chief and Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan said yesterday Umno and the government never sanctioned the roadshows

Shafee also came under fire from Universiti Malaya's law professor Gurdial Singh Nijhar, who felt the senior lawyer may have committed contempt for revealing intimate details of the in-camera evidence last week.

No stranger to controversy

The senior lawyer first held a public talk on the Sodomy II case at an event where Umno Youth chief and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar was present.

At this function, Shafee, who was appointed by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to prosecute the Sodomy II appeal before the Federal Court, described the in-camera evidence in detail.

Shafee then held another talk at Anwar's parliamentary constituency of Permatang Pauh, where PKR also held a protest. However, media personnel covering the event were not allowed to report on the talk given by Shafee.

The Umno-linked lawyer is no stranger to controversy. Shafee has been fined RM5,000 by the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board following the publication of an interview he gave to a local English daily.

Shafee's appeal against this, before the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to set aside the fine, failed last year and this matter is now before its final appeal in the Court of Appeal.