KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — Under fire for publicly discussing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case and continually criticising the leader even after his conviction, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah explained last night that he had merely done so to protect the integrity of the judiciary.
The Umno lawyer also refuted allegations that his appointment as public prosecutor for the case had contradicted his position as an international human rights advocate, insisting that his critics should not attempt to deprive him of his right to practice law.
“I respect human rights a lot. You’ll be quite surprised to know that when I dealt with cases, especially the Anwar Ibrahim cases, why I made certain statements.
“It was purely to protect the integrity of the judiciary,” he said in a dialogue session last night with fellow representatives from the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.
Shafee said he has been consistent in keeping the integrity of the judiciary intact, claiming he was even arrested in the 1990s as he had allegedly secured proof of corruption against four judges, causing him to seek asylum in Sabah.
“I’m consistent because, if the judiciary is corrupt, I’ll go after it. But if the judiciary is not corrupt, someone alleges it of lacking integrity, I’ll go after that person,” said Shafee.
On February 10, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal’s conviction of Anwar for sodomising his former political aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, also keeping a five-year jail sentence.
Following that, Shafee joined two Umno Youth’s roadshows, which was allegedly organised to explain Putrajaya’s side of the story to the public. Shafee did not join the rest of the nationwide tour.
His conduct in the earlier legs of the roadshow, during which he called Anwar a “closet homosexual” and divulged unreported details of the trial, has been reported to the Bar Council.
Shafee also gave interviews to local daily New Straits Times on at least two separate occasions since the verdict, defending himself and attacking Anwar, despite his limited role as a public prosecutor-by-fiat for the case.
Shafee also pointed out last night that nobody had questioned his political inclinations and alleged bias during cases that came before the Opposition Leader’s sodomy appeal.
“There is no such thing as conflict of interest over a particular case. The only way you can be in conflict of interest if you have compromised yourself, in that particular factual situation,” said Shafee.
Shafee also rubbished claims that Anwar was the first person to have been charged under sodomy laws, claiming that he could cite “hundreds of cases” of sodomy from his time in practice.
