ZAINUR ZAKARIA DIBEBASKAN

Zainur Zakaria, peguam Anwar Ibrahim, dibebaskan daripada tuduhan menghina mahkamah pada Jun 27, sekaligus menterbalikkan keputusan hukuman penjara oleh Augustine Paul pada November 1998.

Pembebasan Zainur telah mengaibkan hakim Augustine Paul. Hakim itu tidak langsung memberi peluang kepada Zainur untuk membela diri dan kenyataannya. Bagaimana serang peguam membela anak guamnya jika dia diikat dari berkata-kata? Apatah lagi jika itu ada kebenarannya. Malah memang ada benarnya jika tidak peguam Nalla, Manjeet Singh tidak akan menyediakan kenyataan bersumpah Nalla akan komplot dua pendakwa itu mengugut untuk mendapatkan pengakuan palsu.

Hakim Augustine Paul menghukum Zainur kerana menyatakan kedua-dua pendakwa telah berpakat dan berunding dengan Nalla agar mengaku untuk mengenakan Anwar supaya tuduhan keatasnya (Nalla) dapat dikurangkan. Zainur disuruh meminta maaf atau masuk penjara. Tetapi Zainur enggan kerana itu adalah haknya atau tugasnya untuk menyampaikan sahaja (bagai posmen). Hakim mahkamah rayuan memutuskan Anwar berhak untuk menyuarakan kebimbangan itu kerana ada 'prima facie'.

KOMEN: TAPI SIDIA MASIH BERKELIARAN

Apakah sistem kehakiman sekarang semakin pulih atau ia sengaja dibiarkan bebas buat sementara waktu untuk tujuan tertentu? Salah satu punca pelabur tidak yakin kepada Malaysia adalah kerana institusi kehakiman yang tercemar. Reformis perlu menggunakan peluang ini untuk mengheret Mahathir dan juak-juaknya sebelum pintu itu tertutup kembali. Hakim yang ada sekarang perlu berhati-hati tidak menjerut diri sendiri dengan mainan kata Mahathir dan media yang mempertikaikan mereka. Apa yang terjadi kepada Tun Salleh Abbas perlu disemat erat di dada. Sedikit kesilapan akan memusnahkan karier mereka dan nama baik institusi ini. Mujur hakim Kamil sudah bersara tetapi beliau harus ingat keputusan beliau itu sudah cukup dan tidak perlu lagi menambah apa-apa lagi - kerana itu mungkin akan mencemarkan namanya jua kerana sudah ada komplot untuk menyerangnya. Diamkan diri sahaja kerana keputusan Likas itu sudah menjawab segala-galanya. Masih ada hakim yang menjadi robot Mahathir - ini jangan kita lupa. Jika beliau tertewas di sini beliau akan menang di sana.

-Ringkasan/Ulasan Kapal Berita-

Rujukan:

http://livenews.lycosasia.com/cgi-bin/get.pl? pi_news_id=796825&pi_ctry=my&pi_lang=en

Anwar lawyer cleared of contempt charge on appeal

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's highest court on Wednesday threw out a contempt of court conviction and a prison sentence against a lawyer for jailed former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The ruling by the Federal Court is the latest in a series of legal victories for Anwar's supporters, cheering those who had doubted the independence of the judiciary.

Lawyer Zainur Zakaria was sentenced to three months jail by High Court judge Augustine Paul in November 1998.

Zainur had filed an affidavit on Anwar's behalf, saying the two prosecutors had offered to reduce charges against a businessman friend of Anwar if the man agreed to frame Anwar with sex crimes.

Paul had ruled that Zainur's affidavit amounted to a serious contempt and ordered the lawyer to apologise or go to jail. He did not apologise.

The Court of Appeal in September last year upheld Zainur's conviction and sentence, forcing him to appeal to the higher Federal Court.

Federal Court judges in their decision said Zainur was only acting in his client's interest.

"I've always been free," Zainur, on bail since he was sentenced, told Reuters. "But I'm glad justice has been served."

Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah vowed to restore battered public confidence in the judiciary when he took office in December.

Anwar, once in line to succeed Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, is serving a 15-year jail sentence for s###my and corruption, charges he says were fabricated. The government has denied Anwar's claims.

The opposition hailed the latest ruling.

"It is another welcome development in the long and hard road to restore confidence in the judiciary," said veteran opposition figure Lim Kit Siang.

On May 30, a High Court judge freed two opposition activists locked up under the dreaded Internal Security Act, which allows detention without trial.

In another upset for the authorities, an election judge ruled earlier this month that a government candidate had used phantom voters to win in polls two years ago and annulled his victory, forcing a by-election.

http://www.thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp? file=/2001/6/27/latest/838FederalCo.asp&sec=latest

Federal Court sets aside Zainur's
contempt of court conviction

By Shaila Koshy

The Federal Court today allowed lawyer Zainur Zakaria's appeal against a three-month jail term for contempt of court.

The panel of three judges gave separate judgements but they were unanimous in setting aside the conviction and sentence.

On Nov 30, 1998, Justice Augustine Paul had cited Zainur for contempt for filing an application on behalf of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the corruption trial against the former Deputy Prime Minister.

Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim Lip Kiong said he was satisfied that Anwar had a prima facie basis to complain against the two senior DPPs prosecuting him.

In initiating contempt proceedings against Zainur, Justice Shim said Justice Paul did not give Zainur an opportunity to answer the charges against him.