Students who sat for the recent Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) examination are angered by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board's decision to nullify it on the grounds of alleged leaks.

"We are very unhappy with the board's decision and plan to meet with Bar Council president Mah Weng Kwai and also with Karpal Singh," said a candidate who did not wish to be named.

The man who had taken the examination three times before passing said the decision made by the board was unfair. The CLP main examination consists of five papers and candidates are allowed to sit for it only four times to pass all five papers. If they fail one paper, they may take the supplementary tests.

He said about 280 students plan to take action against the board's decision to nullify the exam results.

"The decision was clearly arbitrary as there have been rumours in the past about papers being leaked. These rumours transpire every year, so if that is the reason, why have they not nullified the results all those years?

"When we fail our papers, we are never given the chance to appeal against the results but this year they are just nullifying the results as such. You can't just treat people like dogs, telling them to do this and telling them to that," he said.

The board announced yesterday that it would nullify the results of both the main examination held in July and the supplementary exam in October after it suspected leaks in both papers. Students have been told that they may take the papers again next January and April respectively.

The leaks were reported in the Malay Mail, which had obtained a copy of one paper on Oct 29. The ruling affects more than 900 candidates who took the examination this year.

Passing the CLP is required before foreign law graduates can practise in Malaysia. It is a tough examination with a pass rate of only about 30 percent.

"A lot of people have applied to be chambering students and many of them are already appearing in court. It would also cause hardship for people who already have their family come down for the convocation this Friday," the candidate said.

The candidate said a number of candidates are also planning to initiate judicial review proceedings against the decision to nullify the results.

"The board's decision can also be deemed to be libellous and defamatory. We are told to take the exam again because there could have been cheating. Asking us to resit the exam again is very damaging for our image," he said.

He added that it was the responsibility of the board to make sure that cheating did not occur and that the students should not be blamed for their laxity.

Innocent candidates affected

Meanwhile DAP national deputy secretary and criminal lawyer Karpal Singh urged restraint, calling for the board not to act hastily before a police investigation into the matter is completed.

"Although it is accepted, the sanctity of the examination must be sacrosanct; it must not necessarily follow that the board should act even before the police have completed their investigations.

"Resorting to expediency at the expense of justice to the innocent, is certainly not a step in the right direction, casting the net too wide to haul in even the innocent does not speak well of the board," he said in a statement today.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said that action should be taken against those who had leaked the paper but not at the expense of innocent candidates.

"It is most unjust and unfair to the honest, hardworking and innocent candidates to nullify the results this year. Punish the culprits and do not penalise the innocent should be the guiding principle of the board," Lim said.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim said yesterday that a report on the matter handed to him by the Attorney-General had pointed to a few insiders responsible for the leaks and that it was up to the police to conduct a thorough investigation.