The decision to strike out the BN candidate for Permatang Pasir Rohaizat Othman from the Rolls of Advocates and Solicitors was made by the Disciplinary Board, which is an independent body established under Section 93 of the Legal Profession Act 1976 (LPA).

Malaysian Bar secretary, George Varughese, in a statement said the board is currently chaired by Khalid Ahmad Sulaiman, and appointed by the Chief Judge of Malaya after consultation with the Bar Council.

NONEVarughese said the Bar Council is authorised to speak on behalf of the Disciplinary Board on matters relating to disciplinary proceedings involving advocates and solicitors.

"The Bar Council is a statutory body established under the LPA, "for the proper management of the affairs of the Malaysian Bar and for the proper performance of its functions.

"We truly regret the statement made by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin implying that the Bar Council had an ulterior motive in raising the issue," said Varughese.

The council secretary said it issued a press release entitled "Clarification regarding Rohaizat Othman" on August 18, in response to media inquiries on the matter.

On August 18, the Bar Council had issued a statement that the board had stripped Rohaizat of his legal pips because he was found guilty of misconduct.

Varughese had said: "The finding of misconduct is personal to Rohaizat, as the (advocates and solicitors) disciplinary board would not hold a lawyer liable for the actions of his/her law partner(s)."

He had said the board struck off Rohaizat, who is also a Syariah legal adviser, on March 7, 2008.

Muhyiddin, Rohaizat's advocate

However, yesterday Muhyiddin struck back at the lawyers' governing body of having a hidden agenda to tarnish Rohaizat publicly.


Muhyiddin had even suggested that the Bar Council should be non-partisan in taking disciplinary action.

It was also reported today that Rohaizat's former partner Yusri Isahak had vehemently refuted claims by Umno leaders that the party candidate was innocent of any wrongdoings.


"It's a blatant lie to say that he never knew anything about the cooperative land and money transactions.

"Apart from me, he was also the legitimate signatory of the company accounts.

"To suggest that he was implicated by my wrongdoing is a lie," Yusri told journalist at a press conference today.