By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Aug 26: The representatives of Sarawak Attorney-General’s Chambers (AG) and the Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) have been directed by the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya today to be in attendance in the hearing against the admissions of former Chief Justices of Sarawak and Sabah Tan Sri Richard Malanjum and Tan Sri David Wong Dak Was as state lawyers.
According to business portal The Edge Markets, the Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said this was to ensure the views of more parties will be heard in the case.
Appellant Voon Lee Shan’s lawyer Lim Heng Choo had been ordered to inform Sarawak AG and AAS as they were part of the hearing in Kuching High Court, in which it dismissed Voon’s case.
Court of Appeal Judges Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail and Datuk Supang Lian were the two other judges on the bench.
The Court of Appeal fixed September 2 for case management to gather all the parties involved for the hearing.
Both Malanjum and Wong who retired in April 2019 and in February 2020 respectively are Sabahans who tried to join Sarawak Bar despite some protests from local legal fraternity.
On August 26, Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan who is also a lawyer, had applied to intervene, citing the need to safeguard Sarawak lawyers’ interest and to ensure that lawyers from outside Sarawak will be blocked from practising in the State as the interest of practising lawyers in Sarawak as provided by the Federal Constitution should be based on the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
On Sept 15, 2020, Malanjum was allowed as a member of the Sarawak Bar while Wong was allowed to be a member of the Sarawak Bar on February 2, 2021.
Following Kuching High Court’s admissions of both Malanjum and Wong to Sarawak Bar, Voon appealed against the decision to disallow him to intervene in the petitions for admissions and exemption orders for both Malanjum and Wong. — DayakDaily
