Sulaiman, a lawyer who believes in justice - PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The former president of the Malaysian Bar Council, Datuk Sulaiman Abdullah, who died yesterday, was a firm believer in the principles of justice and human rights.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, through a note on X, acknowledged that Sulaiman was not only a lawyer to him, but also a close friend who was with him and his family during his dark and turbulent years.

Anwar said that Sulaiman's thoughts and conscience, which are firm on the principles of justice and human rights, cannot be denied by anyone.

"I am very much impacted because when I received the news I was still in Tokyo, Japan, on a working visit, praying for his family to be patient and for the late Sulaiman to be forgiven of all his sins and given a special place by Allah SWT," said Anwar.

The Prime Minister has been in Tokyo since last Dec 15 to attend the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in addition to the Asian Zero Emission Community Summit.

Sulaiman, 77, was Malaysian Bar Council president from 2000 to 2001 in addition to being involved in many high-profile cases including leading the prosecution team in the trial of the SRC International Sdn Bhd case involving former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in 2018.

He was also in the defence team in Anwar's court case and represented Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin who challenged the legitimacy of Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir's appointment as Perak Mentri Besar in the Perak constitutional crisis case in 2009.

-- BERNAMA