No charge against lawyers, 15 others

The five lawyers and 15 others arrested in connection with an illegal assembly in Kuala Lumpur on May 7 will not face any legal charges.

They were informed of this when the group reported back to the Brickfields police district headquarters this morning.

The lawyers were arrested after attempting to provide legal assistance to the 15 who were nabbed during a candlelight vigil in support of Bersih activist Wong Chin Huat, who himself was detained under the Sedition Act.

This morning, the lawyers - except for Puspawati Rosman who had to attend a case in Shah Alam - arrived at the police station at about 10am.

They other four - Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Syuhaini Safwan, Ravinder Singh and Murnie Hidayah Anuar - were accompanied by their lawyers Latheefa Koya, N Surendran, Ravi Nekoo and Lim Chee Wei.

Bersih's Wong was also seen in the crowd with about 20 other lawyers who came to support their colleagues. There were also a small group of other supporters present.

Why are they here?

However, Brickfields police chief Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid expressed surprise over the appearance of the five lawyers and 15 others.

According to him, the police had informed lawyer M Puravelan, who represented all those arrested, that no action would be taken and they need not report back.

"What happened today should not have happened. The police have contacted the Bar Council yesterday at 5.15pm and talked to Puravalen.

"I have told him they do not have to come because we do not need them any more to assist us in the investigation.

"So I do not understand why they are here today," Wan Abdul told reporters.

All of those arrested were released after being held overnight in the police lock-up, a move which initiated a strong rebuke from the lawyers' fraternity.

Following that the Malaysian Bar - home to more than 13,000 lawyers in Peninsular Malaysia - demanded inspector-general of police Musa Hassan and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to step down.

Best they went

Contacted later, Bar Council chairperson Ragunath Kesavan said he was informed by Puravelan - who is not a Bar Council member - last night that the lawyers did not have to go to the police station today.

"But I asked him if he was sure because the lawyers received a written notice to appear at the police station. That is why the arrested lawyers and their legal counsels went," he said.

On the same note, he said the police should have informed the lawyers 'officially' rather than communicating through the phone.

"If the lawyers did not turn up when summoned by the police via written notice, there is a possibility of them being arrested. So it was better for them to go," he added.

Ragunath said he had 'no knowledge' that the 15 were also told not to come.

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