Following his recent success in prosecuting opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim - resulting in the PKR de facto leader’s conviction - Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has been in the limelight, more so than usual.

With such a high profile case in his hands, the senior lawyer's prosecutorial prowess has been the subject of much debate.
 
After taking over as lead prosecutor, Shafee succeeded in overturning the High Court acquittal in the Court of Appeal, and argued for the case at the apex court, which upheld Anwar’s Sodomy II conviction and five-year jail sentence.
 
Is this lawyer in limelight also a prosecutor par excellence?
 
Asked whether there was anything new or extra in Shafee's submission -  resulting in the successful conviction of Anwar - sources familiar with the case at the Court of Appeal and Federal Court told Malaysiakini there was nothing outstanding.
 
Shafee, said one source, launched his arguments on the strength of submissions by former solicitor-general II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, who led the team from the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), prior his retirement.
 
"This follows all the hard work that was done by the prosecution team led by Yusof in adducing evidence in court and also the submissions made.
 
"The only addition is an Australian case law, where a 13-year-old DNA sample was used to convict a murderer.
 
"Other than that, there was nothing new in the submissions," said the source on condition of anonymity.
 
'Nothing new' in Shafee's submission
 
Shafee's submission cited the Australian case, in which the police found a towel belonging to a murder victim and upon examination, discovered semen stains, which were sent for analysis to pinpoint the perpetrator.

"The DNA was found on the towel where semen was found. The reading was considered matching and the accused was convicted for the murder, after 13 years," Shafee had submitted.
 
Shafee pointed out that in this instance, the DNA sample was successfully retrieved from Saiful 56 hours after the incident.
 
"In my case, the reading is perfect," the senior lawyer said in comparing the DNA samples retrieved from Saiful's rectum and the samples taken from the mineral water bottle, toothbrush and towel that were taken from Anwar's lock-up after his arrest on July 16, 2008.
 
Anwar was convicted by the Federal Court on Feb 10, on a unanimous decision by its five-member panel.
 
Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria also dismissed the opposition leader's appeal to set-aside the conviction and sentence.
 
The judge ruled that Anwar leader was capable of such sexual acts despite claims of a bad back and that his defence failed to cast doubt on the prosecution's case, following the court's acceptance of the DNA evidence and evidence retrieved from Anwar’s cell.
 
Although he had secured a conviction, Shafee broke tradition and went on to reveal details of the trial - including 'in camera evidence' - at a public forum in Kelana Jaya, Selangor.
 
He is expected to be involved in more speaking engagements on the case, with one already slated to be held at Anwar's parliamentary constituency of Permatang Pauh this weekend.
 
The senior lawyer was also described by former attorney-general Abu Talib Othman as “advertising himself” following his decision to give exclusive interviews to the New Straits Times and Utusan Malaysia.
 
Shafee as prosecutor
 
The prosecution lost its Sodomy II case in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 9, 2012, and SG II Yusof opted for early retirement the following month.
 
Besides Yusof (left), the other prosecutors assisting in the case then were deputy public prosecutors Nordin Hassan, Noorin Badaruddin, CK Wong, and Mohd Hanafiah Zakaria.
 
Only Hanafiah, who is now the deputy head of the prosecution division in the AGC, is still in service and was with Shafee in the Federal Court hearing.
 
When the High Court Sodomy II acquittal verdict was delivered, Malaysia was yet to go into the 13th general election and following, this there were immediate international reactions to the acquittal, including from Human Rights Watch Asia division head Phil Robertson, who said the opposition leader should not have been charged in the first place.
 
The international community also hailed the High Court decision as proof that Malaysian courts are independent.
 
The 13th general election came almost 16 months after the High Court verdict.
 
Shafee was appointed by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail on July 11, 2013, to head the prosecution's case.
 
His controversial appointment was made despite Shafee being present at the Taman Duta home of Najib, who was then deputy prime minister, when Mohd Saiful Bukhari came to report about an alleged sodomy incident.
 
Anwar tried to disqualify Shafee on three occasions, on grounds that the senior lawyer was at Najib's house, and based on his meeting with former top cop Mat Zain Abdullah and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the Pulau Batu Putih issue.
 
All the attempts were rejected by the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.
 
Shafee is also Malaysia's representative in the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and is its current
chairperson.