Friday 13 March 2009

LATEST !! Appeals Court Says Speaker Sivakumar CAN Have OWN Lawyers to Represent Him

The Star Online reported:

Excerpts:

The Court of Appeal ruled Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar CAN engage private lawyers to represent him in two civil suits brought by Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, six state executive councillors and three Independent assemblymen. The ruling overturns the judgment made by Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim in the Ipoh High Court.

Justices Datuk Md. Raus Sharif, Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong and Datuk Ahmad Maarop unanimously held that there was NO provision in law to say that the speaker must be represented by Perak legal adviser Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid.

"A speaker is not a state officer or the Government of the state. Sivakumar is at liberty to engage lawyers of his choice," Raus said in his oral decision allowing Sivakumar's appeals to set aside the Ipoh High Court's ruling that only the State Legal Adviser can represent him.

On March 3 and 5, Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim refused to allow private attorneys to represent Sivakumar.

No comments: