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The Star
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
‘Restore trust in our judiciary'
PUTRAJAYA: Hundreds of lawyers marched from the Palace of Justice (POJ) to the Prime Minister's Office complex here in a gathering aimed at defending the independence of the judiciary. Organised by the Malaysian Bar, the 'Walk to Safeguard Judicial Independence' was held to express concern over the vacancies for top posts and other senior judicial roles in the Federal Court, particularly at the High Court level. Many lawyers, dressed in their chambers attire, gathered alongside individuals believed to be from NGOs, arrived as early as 12.30pm. Police presence was minimal, but marshals – believed to be part of the Bar Council – monitored the march. An ambulance was also stationed near the Palace of Justice. At around 2pm, Bar president Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab led the procession. Notable figures in attendance included former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas and PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar, alongside other prominent lawyers. Mohamad Ezri told reporters that at the end of the walk, the Bar has submitted a memorandum to the PMO calling for urgent reforms to safeguard judicial independence. The memorandum was handed over to the director-general of the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) Datuk Zamri Misman, who was present to receive it. Calls for transparency: Lawyers participating in the 'Walk to Safeguard Judicial Independence' in Putrajaya. — ART CHEN/The Star 'I have handed over our memorandum to the director-general of BHEUU Datuk Zamri Misman, who was ready and waiting in the room earlier, and he has acknowledged receipt of the memorandum,' Ezri said. Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah called for an investigation into allegations of judicial interference and the leak of what is believed to be confidential minutes from a recent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) meeting. 'It is important that these allegations be investigated to restore trust in our judiciary,' said Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in a statement. 'Investigations can commence under Article 125 of the Federal Constitution through the establishment of an independent tribunal comprising at least five senior judges,' she said. She said such action would go a long way in preserving faith in the system, adding that the judiciary, executive and legislature exists to keep one another in check by ensuring no single branch operates without accountability. 'Today, we exercise the right to peaceful assembly guaranteed by the constitution and upheld by the Prime Minister. 'In the spirit of reform and justice, which are the foundations of Keadilan, we need to improve the existing structure by making it more transparent. 'An independent judiciary is the essential bulwark against overreach by the executive, the Cabinet, and the government as a whole,' she said. Nurul Izzah added that court decisions censure Parliament if and when laws which are oppressive and unconstitutional are introduced. 'Bearing all this in mind, the most crucial thing in an independent judicial system is the lack of interference from internal or external forces. 'As such, persons appointed as the Chief Justice of Malaya; President of the Court of Appeal; the Chief Judge of Malaya; and the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak must not only be capable but also be of the highest moral integrity to carry out the job,' she said. Currently, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim is assuming the responsibility and duties of the Chief Justice, while Federal Court judge Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof, similarly, is taking over the tasks and responsibilities of the Court of Appeal President. On Sunday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the appointment of a new chief justice to head the judiciary will be decided only after the next Conference of Rulers scheduled for July 15-17. Police have also launched an investigation into the alleged leak and dissemination of what is believed to be confidential minutes from a JAC meeting.
Borneo Post
01-07-2025
- Borneo Post
Federal Court upholds ex-pathologist colonel's death sentence for Kevin Morais' murder
The Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, which houses the nation's judicial department, as well as the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. — Bernama file photo PUTRAJAYA (July 1): The Federal Court today upheld the death sentence imposed on a former pathologist colonel for the murder of Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais in 2015. A three-man bench led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat affirmed the murder conviction of Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, 62, S. Nimalan, 31 and S. Ravi Chandran, 53. However, both Nimalan and Ravi Chandran were spared the gallows after the court commuted the death sentences imposed on them by the High Court to life imprisonment. Nimalan was sentenced to 35 years in prison with 12 strokes of the cane, while Ravi Chandran was sentenced to 40 years in jail. The court did not impose whipping on Ravi Chandran as he is above 50 years of age. Justice Tengku Maimun said Kunaseegaran's death sentence remained as he had withdrawn his appeal against the sentence. Meanwhile, the panel, also comprising Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judge Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang, discharged and acquitted the other three individuals, namely R. Dinishwaran, 32, A.K. Thinesh Kumar, 31, and M. Vishwanath, 34, for the murder. On July 10, 2020, the six men were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of killing Morais, 55, somewhere along Jalan Dutamas Raya Sentul and No. 1, Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7 am and 8 pm on Sept 4, 2015. The Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals on March 14 last year. Morais, who was reported missing on Sept 4, 2015, was last seen leaving his apartment at Menara Duta, Kuala Lumpur, in a Proton Perdana. His body was found in a cement-filled oil drum at Persiaran Subang Mewah, Subang Jaya, on Sept 16 the same year. decision federal court Final Appeals Kevin Morais murder Six men
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mexican judge arrested over 2014 disappearance of 43 students
Police in Mexico have arrested a retired judge accused of tampering with evidence related to the disappearance of 43 students from Iguala more than a decade ago. Lambertina Galeana Marín was the president of the Superior Tribunal of Justice in the state of Guerrero when the trainee teachers went missing in 2014. The 79-year-old is suspected of having given an order that led to the disappearance of CCTV footage which investigators said was key to the case. She was arrested in the city of Chilpancingo, three years after a warrant for her arrest had been issued. Families of 43 missing students in Mexico are still demanding justice The disappearance of the 43 students - who all attended the same teacher training college in the town of Ayotzinapa - has long haunted Mexico. More than a decade on, and despite several investigations, much is still unknown about what happened on the night of 26 September 2014. The remains of three of the students have been found, while the whereabouts of the 40 others remain a mystery, although they are widely presumed to have been killed. A 2022 report by a truth commission tasked by the Mexican government with investigating the case found that it was a state-sponsored crime involving federal and state authorities. According to the commission report, local police worked with members of a criminal group to forcibly disappear the students. The students had gone to Iguala to commandeer buses to take them to an annual protest in Mexico City. The Mexican government said both the police and a local criminal group known as Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) had been alerted to the students' activities. Guerreros Unidos suspected that the students seizing busses in Iguala had been infiltrated by members of a rival criminal gang, Los Rojos, the report alleged. Both the police and members of Guerreros Unidos then mounted several roadblocks in and around the city, it added. One of those roadblocks, manned by local, state and federal police was on the street outside the Palace of Justice. Two Palace of Justice employees told investigators that the palace's security cameras had captured what had happened at the roadblock. However, the footage was never handed over to the authorities and when officials attempted to retrieve it almost a year later, the footage had been "lost", investigators said in 2015. Prosecutors have since alleged that Ms Galeana gave the order to have the footage destroyed or deleted. In an official statement, Mexico's security ministry said Ms Galeana would face charges of forced disappearance. Families searching for sons in drug war 'until last heartbeat'
Straits Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Tunisian judge orders detention of prominent lawyer and Saied critic Souab
A Tunisian flag flutters atop of the Palace of Justice building in Tunis, Tunisia May 13, 2024. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File Photo TUNIS - A Tunisian anti-terrorism judge ordered on Wednesday the detention of prominent lawyer Ahmed Souab, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied, lawyers said, two days after his arrest for comments about the judiciary. Souab's arrest sparked widespread anger among political parties and civil society groups, which said the move was a dangerous escalation of a crackdown on dissent and marked a further entrenchment of the country's authoritarian regime. Activists took the streets in protest this week demanding his release, chanting slogans against Saied and demanding an end to the harassment, silencing and imprisonment of critics. Souab is among the lawyers acting for opposition leaders who received prison sentences on Saturday on conspiracy charges. Souab strongly criticized the judge and the trial last week, calling the proceedings a farce and saying the judiciary had been destroyed. He also said that "the judges are under pressure, with a knife to their heads". An anti-terrorism court interpreted the comment as a threat to the judges, but Souab's lawyers said it was a reference to the huge political pressure on judges. Souab had been detained on "terrorism-related charges" over the comment, a spokesperson for the court said. Souab is a retired administrative judge and lawyer, and a vocal critic of Saied who has repeatedly said the judiciary had lost its independence. Souab's lawyers boycotted Wednesday's hearing, after the judge informed them that he had accepted the representation of only four lawyers out of the dozens present to defend him. Opposition and right groups say Saied has had full control over the judiciary since he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. He dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges in 2022. They described the move as a coup. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Tunisian judge orders detention of prominent lawyer Souab, a critic of president
A Tunisian flag flutters atop of the Palace of Justice building in Tunis, Tunisia May 13, 2024. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File Photo TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian judge on Wednesday ordered the detention of prominent lawyer Ahmed Souab, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied, lawyers said, two days after his arrest for comments about the judiciary. Souab is among the lawyers acting for opposition leaders who received prison sentences on Saturday on conspiracy charges. Souab strongly criticized the judge and the trial last week, calling the proceedings a farce and saying the judiciary had been destroyed. (Reporting By Tarek Amara; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
