Some 10 lawyers have already offered to provide free legal services to former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former MACC chief Abu Kassim Mohamed and outgoing attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail.

This is according to lawyer Yusmadi Yusoff, who mooted that a team of volunteers be set up to act as the trio's legal counsel, following the police report lodged against them over an alleged conspiracy to topple Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"I proposed that lawyers form a volunteer team to defend Zeti, Abu Kassim and Abdul Gani, because for me, they are symbols of our institutions which must be defended," the former Balik Pulau MP told Malaysiakini.

He said the allegations in Umno Youth's police report are baseless and made with bad intentions.

"So based on this realisation, I am inviting all Malaysian lawyers whether they are seniors, juniors, lecturers, or law students who wants to defend the institutions, to come together to defend them pro bono (for free)," he said.

Yusmadi added that all quarters should make defending the agencies a priority, since they are protecting the people's interests.

In the police report lodged yesterday, Umno Youth vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun said the three were suspected of providing confidential information to foreign agencies without authorisation, including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

He also alleged that some of the documents submitted were falsified and the information twisted to achieve their agenda.

Zeti and Abu Kassim had yesterday said they would only comment on the matter after seeking legal advice.

Abdul Gani, meanwhile, described the allegations as frivolous and a publicity stunt.