Senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has taken to task foreign governments who criticised the Federal Court decision Tuesday which resulted in the conviction of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Singling out the British, Americans and Australians, Shafee said they refused to examine the case and the outcome which was based on facts.

 

“I am disappointed with the Americans and to a certain extent, the British. Meanwhile, the Australians seem to have a jaundiced mind. They refused to examine the facts.

 

“If they had, they would have realised the judiciary only examined what was presented before them and nothing else,” the senior lawyer told the New Straits Times.

He also took a jab at Malaysian Bar President Christopher Leong, saying that he had lost respect for Leong whom he claimed 'did not know what he was talking about'.

 

“Perhaps (it is) because he is not a criminal lawyer,” said Shafee.

 

Shafee was appointed as special prosecutor by the Attorney-General on July 11, 2013, to lead the prosecution team appealing against a High Court decision freeing Anwar of the Sodomy II charge.

Conspiracy notion blasted

Leong had in a statement yesterday said there were 'glaring anomalies' in the sodomy charge against Anwar which fuelled perception that he was a victim of persecution.

“How could you say this is a case where there is no victim? The victim has a face. Justice is not just for the big man but also for small people like (Mohd) Saiful (Bukhari Azlan) whom Anwar described as a dropout,” said Shafee.

The senior lawyer also blasted Anwar's supporters for supporting the opposition leader's notion of a conspiracy, questioning how the investigating team could have obtained Anwar's semen.

“It is definitely not in some sperm bank. Bear in mind that the semen that conspirators had to obtain must be about 48 to 56 hours old. Where could anyone get that?” he asked.

The senior lawyer also took a swipe at Washington for its stance against the Anwar verdict saying it was better for the United States to look after its own backyard first.

He said sodomy laws had always been in the pages of Malaysian legal books and the US should look at itself in the mirror before criticising others.

Friendship with West

“Look at America. They were harping on our preventive laws.

But look at our Internal Security Act compared to the monstrous Patriot Act that they have maintained,” he said, adding the West's support for Anwar could just be because of long-standing friendships.

Shafee, 61, appointment as special prosecutor was controversial with the opposition leader trying three times to have him removed from leading the prosecution team.

Anwar's defence claimed this was because the senior lawyer - who is linked to Umno - was present in Najib Abdul Razak's Taman Duta home when Saiful came and met Najib, then deputy prime minister.

Shafee was listed as a witness during the court case and and his statement was taken by police following the visit by Saiful. However, he was not called by the prosecution.

Shafee has denied the claim by Anwar's defence, saying he was in another room in Najib's house and therefore never had the opportunity to meet Saiful.

The senior lawyer has represented various personalities in his stellar career ( see chart above ) but has also been fined by the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board for violating the Legal Profession Act.

He has so far failed to set aside the fine with the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissing his application. The matter is now on appeal at the Court of Appeal