Just RM1,000 (Satu Ribu Ringgit Sahaja)!
That's the fee paid by the Attorney-General's Chambers to lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah for services rendered as the chief prosecutor in the sodomy trial of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri told Parliament today the case was first offered to the Bar Council "
but they did not dare to take up the case."
She said the question of payment was raised in Parliament but out of respect of client-lawyer confidentiality, the amount was not divulged unless both parties agreed to make the figure known.
Replying to Er Teck Hwa (DAP-Bakri) during the question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat, she said the decision to appoint Shafee was made because of his experience and knowledge in prosecuting criminal cases.
She added it was also based on his experience as a deputy public prosecutor and denied that the AG’s Chambers lacked experienced people to do the job.
Wow! So 'cheap' for such a big case!
Many parties, especially from the Opposition, had been contemplating on the amount of fee paid to Shafee to 'pin down' Anwar. Some even suggested a few million.
However, I believe Shafee was more than willing to do it for free but one may wonder why none of the Bar Council members were reluctant to take it up. Hmmm...
KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- Two backbenchers slammed the Bar Council today saying it favoured oppositions and had strayed from the purpose of its establishment.
Datuk Seri Noh Omar (BN-Tanjong Karang) said lately, the body seemed to act as the spokesman for opposition parties.
"The government should not take this attitude lightly, we hope the government will take it seriously," he said when debating the motion of thanks on the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the Bar Council's goal is to support the sovereignty of law and the struggle for justice and to protect the interests of the legal profession and public interest.
"The original purpose of this body is to safeguard the interests of its members, but now we see they are fighting for certain political issues," Noh said.
Therefore, Noh urged the proposed establishment of the Academy of Law to be discussed in the Dewan Rakyat as an alternative to the Bar Council.
He said the Academy of Law Bill was presented for first reading in 2012 before it was pulled off after a protests by the Bar Council.
In support of the motion tabled by Noh, Datuk Raime Unggi (BN-Tenom) also spoke out againts the Bar Council, describing the body as having lost its credibility as a non-partisan body.
"They are not only talking about politics, but also involved in political activities with the opposition," he said, adding that it was time for members of the legal body to show their protest through the ballot box to get the Bar Council to get back on track.
