Lawyer Karpal Singh told the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today, his statement over the removal of Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as menteri besar by the sultan of Perak was made in good faith.

He said he called the press conference on Feb 6, 2009, at his office to provide the legal position of the issue for the benefit of the public and insisted he had nothing personal against the ruler.

“It was bona fide (in good faith) statement as a member of parliament, where I had backed my statement with case laws, where rulers can be sued,” explained Karpal during re-examination by his counsel, Gobind Singh Deo.

Karpal also disagreed with deputy public prosecutor Noorin Badarudin’s contention yesterday, during her examination-in-chief that the senior lawyer was not prudent and had misled the public in giving his legal opinion.

“I am a lawyer by training for nearly 43 years, and carried out my research on the matter on what transpired during the Perak political crisis and (there’s) nothing seditious in my statement,” testified Karpal before Justice Azman Abdullah.

Asked by Gobind what his intention was in bringing up the Hansard recording dated Jan 18, 1993, Karpal said during the debate over the tabling of the Bill On Immunity of Rulers, much more serious sedition was committed.

“Nothing was done against the MPs (members of parliament) who had committed the offence, although parliamentarians have no immunity from criminal prosecution.

“Under Article 81 of the federal constitution, all citizens are equal before the law, but action against me relating to what I said pertaining to the Perak political crisis clearly showed selective prosecution on the part of the Attorney-General’s Office,” he said.

He added that two police reports lodged by him were tendered as part of his defence to also show to the court that much more serious seditious offences were committed by Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali and former Kulim-Bandar Baru member of parliament Zulkifli Noordin, but no action was taken against them.

“Up to today, no statement was recorded by the police on reports lodged by me against these politicians,” he said before concluding his testimony as first defence witness.

Defence to call two witnesses linked to police reports

Meanwhile, Gobind told Azman the defence would call two formal witnesses linked to the police reports, followed by former Attorney-General’s Office, appellate and trial division head, Kamaluddin Md Said.

The trial will resume on Oct 4.

On June 11, 2010, Karpal was discharged and acquitted by the High Court at the end of the prosecution case on a charge of uttering seditious statements in regard to the sultan of Perak, at his law firm in Jalan Pudu Lama, Kuala Lumpur on Feb 6, 2009.

Upon appeal by the prosecution, he was ordered to enter his defence.

Karpal, 73, had allegedly said the removal of Mohammad Nizar as Perak menteri besar and Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir’s appointment to the post by the sultan, could be questioned in a court of law.

- Bernama