updated version

The Legal Profession Qualifying Board today announced that it would regrade the results of both the July Certificate of Legal Practice examination and the supplementary October examination.

According to a press statement issued to reporters camping outside the board's office in Menara Tun Razak, the regraded results would be announced tomorrow afternoon.

Those who fail would have to re-sit the exam in January or at a date fixed by the board.

The board, which had a five-hour meeting this afternoon, has also decided to nullify the Evidence paper, requiring all candidates to re-sit it in either January or July.

Results of the regraded papers will be announced through the press and a copy posted on the notice board at the CLP office. Candidates will also be notified in writing individually of their results.

Students outraged

The board's decision on Nov 12 to nullify the results of the exams due to reports of leaks had left 921 law students in limbo with many of the 232 who passed having already started chambering.

The move sparked a public outcry and resulted in a student filing a petition in court against the board.

The Bar Council, which met on Saturday, voted overwhelmingly against the annulment despite its chairperson Mah Weng Kwai's consistent support for the board's decision.

Mah sits on the Qualifying Board together with Attorney General Ainum Mohd Saaid, High Court Judge Abdul Wahab Patail, Federal Court Siti Normah, Federal Court chief registrar Abdul Wahab Said Ahmad and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Assoc Prof Shamsuddin Suhor.

In the press release today, the board also sought to clarify several matters pertaining to the preparation, conduct and marking of the exam papers.

"The members of the board cannot overemphasise the fact that none of them individually or collectively as a board knew of the leakage until after the examination," said Abdul Wahab, who signed the statement on behalf of the board.

Abdul Wahab said that on Nov 10, it was brought to the attention that working drafts of the July main exam which ought to have been shredded had been found in possession outside the "legal practice exam management".

Results tampered

In a new twist to the scandal, Abdul Wahab revealed that in addition to the leaking of examination questions, it was also discovered that the marks had also been tampered with.

He said that the director of the Qualifying Board, Khalid Yusoff, could be responsible for the tampering of marks.

"Upon investigations to verify the effects of such leakage, the members of the Qualifying Board found a substantial number of irregularities between marks awarded by examiners and the marks disclosed by the director to the members of the Qualifying Board in the master result sheets submitted for their approval," he said.

"In view of the leakage and tampering of marks, the members of the Qualifying Board then decided that the inevitable measure necessary to restore and protect the integrity of the examination under the charge of the board is that the July 2001 main examination, and consequently the October 2001 supplementary examination, had to be nullified," he added.

Abdul Wahab said the review committee set up on Nov 12 to look into the leakage has commenced work.

"It is expected to submit its findings and recommendations to the Qualifying Board soon. One of the more immediate issues that is under consideration is the position and role of the director," he said.

The director, Khalid, does not sit on the board.