PETALING JAYA: The attorney-general (AG) has asked lawyer Shafee Abdullah to show cause why committal proceedings should not be brought against him over his description of a court proceeding as “a Nazi-Germany kind of hearing”.
In a letter dated June 23 and handed personally to Shafee, the AG sought a reply from him within seven days.
“If you do not provide a satisfactory explanation within seven days from the date of this notice, criminal prosecution will be initiated against you,” the letter, sighted by FMT, read.
The letter was signed by deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin on behalf of AG Dusuki Mokhtar and sent pursuant to Order 52, Rule 2B of the Rules of Court 2012.
The provision states that any formal notice to show cause why a person should not be committed to prison or fined must be served personally.
The letter claimed that Shafee, who acts for ex-prime minister Najib Razak in his ongoing criminal charges and civil suits, made the remark during a press conference on May 29, which was live-streamed via Najib’s Facebook page.
The letter alleged that the words spoken as a whole could undermine public confidence and interfere in the administration of justice.
Malaysiakini last month reported Shafee’s criticism of a court order to temporarily stop all proceedings linked to Najib’s royal addendum, during which the lawyer allegedly compared the decision to “a Nazi-Germany kind of hearing”.
Shafee clarified to the media that the remark was made during an exchange with a reporter and was intended to educate the public, not undermine the judiciary.
He also said the remark was made solely in the context of explaining the meaning and essence of a “judicial decision”.
Najib has obtained leave from the Court of Appeal to begin judicial review proceedings to enforce a royal decree which allows him to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest.
However, proceedings have been suspended pending the disposal of the AG’s appeal to the Federal Court, which will be heard next week.
