Investigate why CJ did not get judiciary report
Kevin TanPublished: Apr 22, 2001 11:28 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
An investigation should be conducted to find out why a report by an international panel of legal experts on the judiciary which was sent to the Malaysian Permanent Mission in Geneva was not made available to two key Malaysian officials.
DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang said that two copies of "Justice in Jeopardy: Malaysia 2000" were sent to the mission on Feb 17 to allow Malaysia the opportunity to give its response by March 15, but they were not forwarded to Chief Justice Mohd Eusoff Chin and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Rais Yatim.
Lim was responding to a report in the New Straits Times today which stated that Eusoff obtained a copy of the report only two days ago after requesting it from the Foreign Ministry and downloading it from the International Bar Association website.
"They suggest that we are not willing to comment but we were waiting to give our comments. We have nothing to hide," Eusoff was quoted as saying by NST.
On Monday, The Star reported that Rais had yet to read the document.
"I'm not aware of this report and I have not received a copy of it," said Rais, who is the minister in charge of legal matters.
The report, "Justice in Jeopardy: Malaysia 2000", by the International Bar Association, the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists, the Commonwealth Lawyer's Association and the Union Internationale des Avocats, was released in Geneva last Wednesday.
The 143-page report expressed serious concerns that the judiciary is not independent and this perception is also held by members of the general public.
The report also highlighted a series of court cases which it said revealed that the legal system was being manipulated for political ends, including the defamation proceedings against United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of the Judiciary Param Cumaraswamy, and the judgement in the case of former DAP Kota Melaka MP Lim Guan Eng.
In addition, the report questioned the fairness of Anwar's trial and the independence and impartiality of the trial judge.
It also called for the repeal of the Internal Security Act and the Sedition Act and an independent law commission be established to review existing legislation and recommend amendments that are consistent with international human rights law.
Lim urged the Chief Justice to provide a full response to the report.
"Eusoff Chin should publish a detailed response to the report as it represents a devastating indictment of the system of justice in Malaysia," he said.
DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang said that two copies of "Justice in Jeopardy: Malaysia 2000" were sent to the mission on Feb 17 to allow Malaysia the opportunity to give its response by March 15, but they were not forwarded to Chief Justice Mohd Eusoff Chin and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Rais Yatim.
Lim was responding to a report in the New Straits Times today which stated that Eusoff obtained a copy of the report only two days ago after requesting it from the Foreign Ministry and downloading it from the International Bar Association website.
"They suggest that we are not willing to comment but we were waiting to give our comments. We have nothing to hide," Eusoff was quoted as saying by NST.
On Monday, The Star reported that Rais had yet to read the document.
"I'm not aware of this report and I have not received a copy of it," said Rais, who is the minister in charge of legal matters.
The report, "Justice in Jeopardy: Malaysia 2000", by the International Bar Association, the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists, the Commonwealth Lawyer's Association and the Union Internationale des Avocats, was released in Geneva last Wednesday.
The 143-page report expressed serious concerns that the judiciary is not independent and this perception is also held by members of the general public.
The report also highlighted a series of court cases which it said revealed that the legal system was being manipulated for political ends, including the defamation proceedings against United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of the Judiciary Param Cumaraswamy, and the judgement in the case of former DAP Kota Melaka MP Lim Guan Eng.
In addition, the report questioned the fairness of Anwar's trial and the independence and impartiality of the trial judge.
It also called for the repeal of the Internal Security Act and the Sedition Act and an independent law commission be established to review existing legislation and recommend amendments that are consistent with international human rights law.
Lim urged the Chief Justice to provide a full response to the report.
"Eusoff Chin should publish a detailed response to the report as it represents a devastating indictment of the system of justice in Malaysia," he said.
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