SHAH ALAM, July 24 — Attorney General (AG) Tommy Thomas said today that he never issued instructions to former Deputy Public Prosecutor Hamdan Hamzah to file an affidavit in the Court of Appeal over the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.
Thomas said this in reply to an ex-parte application made by Muhammad Adib’s father, Mohd Kassim Abdul Hamid on July 16, where he accused the AG of contempt and interfering in the inquest into his son’s death before the court decision.
The nation’s head prosecutor also said that he did not direct or instruct daily tasks to the 1,200 legal officers under him.
“In this regard, anything that was affirmed and filed by Hamdan in Muhammad Adib’s inquest proceedings was within his area of duty and job scope.”
Thomas also said he did not meet Hamdan and the affidavit filed with regard to Adib’s inquest was not under his direct instructions.
“Therefore, the applicant’s (Mohd Kassim) response and conclusion he formed against Hamdan’s affidavit was “mischievous” and was without any basis or merit,” added the AG.
Earlier today, the Shah Alam Coroner’s Court set August 9 as the date to hear preliminary issues over Mohd Kassim’s ex-parte application.
In the application, he claimed that Thomas was in contempt through an affidavit he filed through the AG’s Chambers on April 3, which claimed that the cause of Muhammad Adib’s death was not because he was beaten up by rioters.
Muhammad Adib, 24, who was a member of the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Service Emergency Service Unit (EMRS), was seriously injured in the riot at Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, USJ 25, Subang Jaya on November 27 last year and died on December 17 at the National Heart Institute. — Bernama
