Activist says lawyer Cecil Abraham can sue to clear name

Haris said suing him was the quickest way for Abraham to absolve himself in the matter. — File pic

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 ― Haris Ibrahim has suggested Tan Sri Cecil Abraham take legal action to clear his name after the political activist named the senior lawyer today as the person who helped prepare private investigator P. Balasubramaniam’s second statutory declaration.

The Bar Council has said it was investigating the lawyers who drafted the second sworn statement and whether any professional misconduct was committed in the process.

“He can consider suing me... that would be one of the expeditious way to clear his name,” Haris told The Malaysian Insider.

In his blog posting today, Haris named Abraham as the lawyer who helped draft Balasubramaniam’s second declaration, dated a day after his first on July 3, 2008, regarding the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, for which two elite police commandos have been convicted and are facing death sentences.

The controversy surrounding the SDs resurfaced after carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan recently admitted that he helped to get Balasubramaniam to repudiate his earlier statutory declaration on the matter, including finding two lawyers to draft the new statement.

The identities of the two lawyers were never made known as Deepak said they had cold feet before a press conference to publicise the sworn statement.

Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee announced the investigation today and reiterated that the organisation had always acted without fear or favour, and in accordance with due process, “regardless of the personalities or circumstances in any matter.”

But Haris appeared sceptical when asked to comment on Lim’s statement, saying the Bar Council had merely “rehashed” the announcement it made after the lawyer had lodged a formal complaint on the matter previously.

“Will they investigate? Well I don’t know. They seemed to be making the same statement last month. They could be making the same statement in January. They could be making the same statement February,” he said.

Lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, who is acting for the former private detective, had also suggested on January 1 the Bar Council “was a little hesitant in investigating this matter”, saying the regulator did not need to wait for more complaints and could of its own volition push for an inquiry panel to be set up.

Americk was also alleged by Haris to have expressed “great reservation” that Abraham could be implicated in the in the drafting of the second SD, and reiterated his suggestion that Abraham sue him to prove his innocence.

“I read Americk’s press release late last month where he expressed great reservations that you could be implicated in getting his client to swear to falsehoods.

“If the BC (Bar Council) is taking too long even for your own liking, I’ll offer you a way out to clear your name. Sue me,” he said.