LAWYER Zaid Ibrahim and two of his partners are mulling a legal action against Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah over a recent press statement regarding their representation in jailed former prime minister Najib Razak’s SRC International appeal at the Federal Court.

In a letter issued via the law firm – Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners – the trio demanded “a full and unequivocal retraction and apology” from Cheah by September 2 or she will face legal action.

They alleged that Cheah’s press release on August 19 was “a grave and serious libel”.

They also said the release, which formed the basis of news reports appearing in several news organisations, falsely and maliciously contained statements concerning their conduct in Najib’s appeal.

The lawyers also claimed the press statement by Cheah showed a “reckless disregard as to whether the imputations complained of (were) true”.

They said the press statement suggested they had “deliberately acted unprofessionally… with an improper agenda to abuse the process of the court”, that they resorted to “unscrupulous strategies with conduct designed to pervert the course of justice and bring the legal profession into disrepute”.

They further said Cheah’s press release suggested they were unprofessional, incompetent and ignorant of the professional rules of practice and etiquette, had no compunction in abusing the process of the court, had acted in flagrant contempt of court and were “not fit to practise as advocates and solicitors”.

On August 19, Cheah, through the Malaysian Bar, had expressed her disgust with the manner the justice system was being abused and brought into disrepute in the SRC International appeal hearing.

Cheah said the country had witnessed how the justice system had been abused and brought into disrepute through the frantic acts and numerous attempts to postpone Najib’s appeal hearing.

On July 25, Najib discharged Messrs Shafee & Co and took on Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners to represent him in his final appeal at the apex court.

In the run-up to and during the appeal, Najib’s counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik made numerous requests to postpone the trial but was rejected by the apex court.

Najib then discharged his newly appointed law firm as solicitors as well as Zaid, Liew and Rueben as co-counsel on August 18.

A similar request to discharge Hisyam Teh as lead counsel was rejected by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat.

Last week, the Federal Court unanimously upheld Najib’s guilty verdict, ordering him to begin his 12-year prison sentence immediately.

Najib will also have to pay a RM210 million fine, in default of which he will have to serve another five years in prison. – August 29, 2022.