The hiring of an Umno-linked lawyer to represent the Registrar of Societies (ROS) against DAP shows that this is a political move to destroy DAP, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today.

"Is the Attorney-General’s Chambers so lacking in professional and competent lawyers that it has to outsource hired 'fighters' to fix up political opponents of the BN?

"The hiring of Muhammad Shafee Abdullah is a signal that the BN is going all out to finish off not only Karpal Singh but also the DAP," Lim said in a statement.

He noted that the Attorney-General's Chambers had similarly hired Shafee to prosecute, on its behalf, in the controversial Sodomy II appeal against PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

"DAP considers it deplorable that the Attorney-General's Chambers appears to have sacrificed its own professional competence by outsourcing prosecution work to better serve and realise the wishes of its political masters," Lim added.

DAP has filed a civil suit against the ROS for its failure to recognise its office-bearers elected last September, despite it being held a second time at its insistence.

ROS refused to accept the results of the first party election because of a tabulation error, which DAP had announced and rectified after engaging auditors to scrutinise the results.

Karpal's resignation 'regretfully accepted'

The re-election did not yield a significantly different result.

Meanwhile, Lim announced that the DAP central executive committee (CEC) at a meeting on April 4 had "regretfully" accepted national chairperson Karpal Singh's resignation pending his  appeal of sedition conviction.

"Even though Karpal has stepped down as DAP national chairperson, in compliance with the Societies Act, the CEC unanimously resolved to keep the position vacant and await Karpal’s return.

"In the interim, deputy national chairperson and MP for Cheras Tan Kok Wai, shall be the acting national chairperson.

"DAP also strongly condemns the Attorney-General Chambers for filing a cross-appeal to the Court of Appeal to seek a heavier sentence against Karpal," Lim added.