KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah told Lawyers for Liberty today to formally register their allegation of a threat by Singapore against a lawyer acting for five Malaysians facing death sentences in the republic for drug offences.
Responding to a Malay Mail report of the group’s allegation, the foreign affairs minister said LFL should contact both his ministry and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk VK Liew who oversees legal affairs.
“Dear LFL. Pls write to Minister of Law and cc to Minister of Foreign Affairs. Tq,” Saifuddin wrote on Twitter in reply to former LFL director Eric Paulsen.
This morning, LFL alleged that the Attorney General’s Chambers of Singapore wrote to N. Surendran and accused him of making “scandalous allegations against Singapore and its legal system, including accusing Singapore of acting in total disregard of international legal norms and decent world opinion.”
Surendran is the lead Malaysian lawyer and an instructing solicitor to the Singaporean lawyers representing P. Pannir Selvam in court. The former Padang Serai MP is also acting as counsel for the four other Malaysians.
The group interpreted the letter as an attempt to “sabotage” Pannir’s defence and urged Putrajaya to intervene.
