Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Seafield Inquest - AG instructed appointment of Syalin Mansor be revoked


From Malaysiakini (extracts):

Minister's aide: AG wanted lawyer out, no objection during early stages

Published:   |  Modified: 
Attorney-General Tommy Thomas instructed that the appointment of lawyer Syazlin Mansor be revoked, said an aide to Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.
According to Nor Hizwan Ahmad, this was conveyed through a letter dated May 23.
“The ministry immediately acted in accordance with the AG's advice and instructed its lawyer to withdraw from the inquest,” added the political secretary in a media statement this afternoon.
Syazlin was representing the Housing and Local Government Ministry as well as the Fire and Rescue Department in the inquest to determine firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim's cause of death.
The lawyer is also the wife of Zuraida's press secretary Ahmad Soffian Mohd Shariff.

Meanwhile, Nor Hizwan also pointed out that Syazlin (above) was appointed at an early stage to ensure and assist in the discovery of the full facts surrounding the death of Adib.
“This was a matter of great importance to the Fire and Rescue Department and the ministry as a member of the department had died in the course of carrying out his duty.
“It has been public knowledge that the lawyer has been representing the Fire and Rescue Department and the ministry since the inquest commenced on Feb 11, 2019.
“No objections were raised by any of the parties involved in the inquest throughout the course of the inquest which is nearing its end,” he added. 
Misleading allegation
Responding to a news report which alleged that Zuraida had appointed the lawyer without the AG's Chambers' knowledge, the aide described the allegation as misleading.
He said the claim, reported by the Edgemarkets quoting a source close to the AG's Chambers, did not reflect the full picture of what transpired.

Nor Hizwan (above) also pointed out that Syazlin was appointed on a pro bono basis.
“Syazlin who is the wife of the minister's press secretary accepted the appointment and carried out her the work without payment and in the spirit of public service.
“We take this opportunity to record our gratitude for the service she performed,” he added.


14 comments:

  1. 'The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them'.
    ~ Lois McMaster Bujold

    Thank you very much TT.

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    Replies
    1. Don't worry....Karpal Singh got justice and was declared innocent of sedition by the Federal Court after he died.

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    2. Thks very much again TT.

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  2. This is fast being twisted into another Race/Religion argument.

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  3. For the record....

    I'm sure TT's explanation below won't satisfy certain quarters who will now call for a mass rally and petition the Agong for Tommy's sacking. In the meantime the rioters who started the fight at the Seafield temple have gotten away.

    I think Syazlin was out of her depth at the inquiry, this young lawyer wanted to impress everyone and be on the winning side, so she took both sides(!). She started out representing the deceased's family when public opinion was that the fireman was beaten up by the Indian mob, then changing her mind (or did she?) towards the end of the inquest when she realised the other side was winning.

    Can't make up her mind what the truth is so in the end confusing everyone, not only the physics-challenged forensic expert (ha ha ha) but thankfully the inquest coroner is a certain Rofiah Mohamad so her verdict won't have a racial slant cast on it.

    QUOTE
    AG explains lawyer's axing, shocked she declined to act for Adib's family

    Published: Today 5:44 pm | Modified: Today 5:44 pm

    Attorney-General Tommy Thomas cited several reasons why lawyer Syazlin Mansor should have declined to act on behalf of the Housing and Local Government Ministry as well as the Fire and Rescue Department.

    He was responding to the debate surrounding Syazlin's withdrawal yesterday from the inquest to determine firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim's cause of death.

    Thomas said like all ministries and government departments, the housing ministry and fire department are required to seek legal advice from the AG's Chambers with regard to appointing an external counsel.

    He also noted that Syazlin was in a conflict of interest position when she agreed to act for the ministry and fire department as she was also acting for Adib's family.

    “Thirdly, my officers, who are performing their traditional role as counsel assisting the coroner, have informed me that Syazlin takes an active part in the inquest, often contradicting the positions our DPPs have taken, thus causing embarrassment in her capacity as the ministry's lawyer.

    “Fourthly, Syazlin's husband is employed as press secretary to the housing minister (Zuraida Kamaruddin).

    “It is for these reasons I requested the housing minister to immediately revoke her appointment from further representing the ministry and the Fire Department,” he added in a statement this evening.

    However, Thomas said he was shocked to learn that Syazlin also withdrew from representing the deceased's family.

    “That decision was voluntarily made by her, without any influence from the chambers,” he added.

    “DPP Faten requested Syazlin to continue to represent the family so that the inquest proceedings could proceed and (forensics expert) Prof Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid could be called to further testify.

    “Syazlin was however firm on her decision to withdraw,” she added.

    Shahrom had testified that Adib was pulled out of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicle and assaulted during the Seafield temple riots on Nov 27.

    This had contradicted the testimonies of two government-appointed forensic experts, who claimed that Adib fell from the vehicle and that his injuries were due to being hit by the vehicle when it backed into him in an attempt to escape an advancing mob.
    UNQUOTE

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  4. I think there is no sinister hand at play here, the Minister Zuraidah should not have appointed such a young inexperienced lawyer who broke the first rule that is:

    "make up your mind whose side you are on"

    but instead Syazlin started off representing both the family and the government, which is blatant conflict, because if the coroner's verdict is murder then the family can possibly sue the government.

    The AGC should have stopped this lawyer right from the start but nobody in the AGC wanted to over-rule a Minister (and especially if the minister is Zuraidah...ha ha ha) and poor overworked Tommy is tied up with Jibby's case in court.

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  5. the minister blur blur, the ag slow slow, i think we need mahathir n daim to get involve, or else nothing work in this ph govt.

    shall we not eatablish a rci? y no sound from lks?

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  6. Why are we always looking for sinister hands when there were none; Tommy did the right thing by removing Syazlin as the government’s lawyer but she was told she could still represent the fireman’s family. Instead she quit this role as well, throwing the family into despair and the entire enquiry into confusion.

    Very childish and unprofessional behaviour. The Bar Council should look at her licence very seriously.

    However I am still expecting UMMAH, ISMA etc to find some angle to protest, rally and petition the Agong for Tommy’s head but in the meantime the violent gang that started the Seafield temple riots have gotten away with murder, so to speak.....

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  7. Tommy Thomas explanation is logical.

    The same lawyer should not be representing two separate clients.
    You get that with a house sale, but that is for convenience and disputes are rare. The moment you have a dispute, you should appoint your own lawyer.
    Two defendants being jointly prosecuted may elect to have the same lawyer if they are closely linked, e.g. husband and wife, but that is an exception.

    As for deeper reasons, well Syazlin had quite obviously been drifting further away from the Government team in her approach. You cannot have Two government teams.

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    Replies
    1. kt has gone awfully quiet after his initial excitement about shazlin's great guns, after his hard on it is clear that she didn't know whether she was coming or going, in a relationship it could be considered as two timing in great guns fashion

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    2. Monsterball, why TT did not object Syazlin's appointment by KPKT/ZK in February 2019? Why he asked her to quit at the tail end of the inquest?

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    3. I already wrote -

      Syazlin had quite obviously been drifting further away from the Government team in her approach. You cannot have Two government teams.

      Important factor was her developing behaviour.

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    4. A smoke-screen eh, Monsterball? Wakakaka..

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    5. More likely TT has his neck up so high with all the jibby's kleptomaniac cases. He just trust his subordinates WOULD check & do the right thing!

      Then, there were moles, lil' napoleans & that blurred minister manipulated by her subordinates to hire a loyak burok of questionable origin!

      The rot IS indeed too deep to clear!

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