Press Release: No breach of etiquette or ethics by Karpal Singh

The Malaysian Bar is of the view that there is no ground for Karpal Singh being called to be a witness and give testimony in the ongoing sodomy trial of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.  The question of there being a breach of the existing rules and regulations dealing with ethical conduct of members of the legal profession does not arise in this case.

We believe that there is no basis for misgivings regarding the legal and moral standing of Karpal Singh to serve as defence counsel in the trial.  Quite rightly, the Public Prosecutor has not subpoenaed Karpal Singh to appear as a witness.  Furthermore, no objections have been raised by any party to the case, including the court, on his role as Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s counsel.

It is therefore mischievous of any party, let alone Members of the Bar, to now intimate that Karpal Singh should be disqualified on the basis of his access to so-called knowledge in the previous sodomy trial.  The issues that have been raised in recent days might have been relevant in that earlier trial, had the then-Public Prosecutor voiced any opposition to Karpal Singh’s role as a potential prosecution witness, and his subsequent appearance as defence counsel.  The lack of any such objection at that time makes it even more preposterous for any party to now cite such matters in respect of the ongoing trial.

The Malaysian Bar reiterates that Karpal Singh has neither contravened the Legal Profession Act 1976 nor any rules of etiquette, and calls on all parties to allow the trial to proceed without unnecessary hindrance.


Ragunath Kesavan
President
Malaysian Bar