The Bar Council today expressed regret that the Court of Appeal had failed to decide o­n the bail applications by ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim and his co-accused Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja today.

"The Bar is deeply disturbed and saddened that justice was not done as the issue of liberty of a person was not accorded the immediacy and urgency it so justifiably demanded and deserved, said its president Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari in a press statement.

Written application

This afternoon when Anwar's counsel Karpal Singh informed the court that they were making an oral application for bail, Justice Pajan Singh Gill told him to file a formal (written) application.

The lawyer then insisted that the court accept their oral application and hear their arguments today. The judge then replied that they needed 15 minutes to consider the matter.

However, 20 minutes later, they were told that the judges had refused to re-convene. Instead, the lawyers were told to file a formal application.

When the lawyers' request to meet the judges in chambers was denied, the defence teams went to the Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim's office.

Karpal then informed the press that the three judges have been advised to reconvene.

When the court reconvened at 3pm, the judges were steadfast in their decision that a written application be filed.

Commenting o­n this further, Kuthubul said the Court of Appeal's failure to make a decision o­n the bail application today has left many questions unanswered.

He added that this "runs counter to the dictate that justice must not o­nly be done but must seen to be done."

Reserves judgment

On the court's decision to uphold Anwar's sodomy conviction and nine-year jail sentence as well as the conviction and sentence against Sukma, the president said the council will wait for the written judgment before commenting.

"The Council will make its views known o­n the substantive aspects of the dismissals when it is in a position to do so," he added.

The court also revoked Sukma's bail and ordered him to serve his six-year jail sentence beginning today. He will also receive four strokes of the rotan.

Anwar and Sukma were both accused of sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar, the former driver of Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.