RPK: Money can’t buy lawyers so Tun M, Daim and Muhyiddin may have to fight their battle without legal assistance

RPK: Money can’t buy lawyers so Tun M, Daim and Muhyiddin may have to fight their battle without legal assistance

FUGITIVE blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) has taken a pot shot at the unity government for casting fear among the legal fraternity to the extent that three immediate targets accused of conspiring to overthrow the government of the day via the so-called “Dubai Move” may have no access to legal representation.

Apart from blocking their passports so that they cannot leave the country, the mercenary blogger expects lawyers “to be thinking thrice” before agreeing to represent twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin and eighth premier and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“They (unity government) are in the midst of casting fear within the law fraternity till no lawyers in Malaysia dare to represent Dr Mahathir, Daim or Muhyiddin for fear of being dragged into their case … so much so that the trio will be left to fight their own battle without lawyers,” the Opposition-slant RPK pointed out in a recent video clip.

“As they risk being accused as an accomplice to the trio by being slapped with potentially money laundering charge, many lawyers are expected to shy away from taking up those high-profile cases.”

Interestingly, the Manchester, UK-based RPK claimed that the Attorney-General (AG) has advised the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) that the manner in which action was taken against Daim and Dr Mahathir is both unlawful and went against the Federal Constitution.

“But they (MACC and PDRM) have been instructed by Anwar (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) that action has to be taken against the trio by hook or by crook,” asserted RPK. “So, there is a clash between the AGC (Attorney-General’s Chambers) and MACC-PDRM whereby as the corruption case of Muhyiddin has proven, the judge kicked out the case in view of lack of evidence.”

Added RPK: “Apart from close family members (siblings, wife, children and their respective spouses as well as the lawyers), even staff – whether they are employed directly or indirectly by the trio – are also not spared for they could be put under duress by the authorities.

“Being panic-stricken that they might end up in the lock-up, these people (the staff) might be lured into making false confession or even agreeing to be witnesses of money laundering charges against the employers.”

Earlier, RPK has hit out at the unity government for resorting to using the PDRM as a new addition to the MACC to act against those who are deemed enemies of the state.

“MACC has since confiscated Menara Ilham belonging to Daim and can hold it for 18 months to facilitate investigation without evidence with onus on Daim to prove that the building was purchased using “clean money” (duit halal),” contended RPK.

“This is a new tactic in that the government need not have to prove Daim’s guilt but Daim himself must prove his innocence … it’s a very dirty game indeed that they are playing.

“Moreover, it is questionable as to why Daim is charged under AMLA 2001 (Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Act 2001) when most of the crime he has allegedly committed actually took place in the 1980s/1990s or long before AMLA 2001 came into force.”

This, according to RPK, contradicted Article 7 (i) of the Federal Constitution which stated that “no person shall be punished for an act or omission which was not punishable by law when it was done or made, and no person shall suffer greater punishment for an offence than was prescribed by law at the time it was committed”. – Dec 31, 2023