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PUTRAJAYA – DAP’s legal bureau chairman Ramkarpal Singh today asserted that the appeal in 2019 by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) challenging Sam Ke Ting’s initial acquittal by the magistrates’ court should have not happened.
Speaking after Sam’s Court of Appeal proceeding today, where she was granted leave to appeal her recent conviction and released on bail, he acknowledged that such decisions are the prerogative of the sitting attorney-general.
The serving attorney-general at that time was Tan Sri Tommy Thomas under the then Pakatan Harapan government.
“For me, legally speaking of course, the AGC is at its discretion to challenge it, but I think it (the case) should have stopped there. I feel (that) from what I read, enough doubt was raised.
“It was purely at the discretion of Tommy Thomas back then, so we cannot comment further on that, or comment adversely on it,” said the Bukit Gelugor MP.
Ramkarpal, in court here today alongside DAP colleague and Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, said they would now allow for the legal process to take its course with their party standing in solidarity with Sam.
Commenting on today’s proceeding, Ramkarpal commended the prosecution in the case for not objecting to Sam obtaining a stay of execution.
“That is important because I feel there are certainly issues here that merit proper consideration once leave has been allowed, especially since she has been acquitted before.
“We attended today on behalf of DAP purely to show solidarity and will continue supporting her as we hope all the proper considerations in relation to the appeal will be taken into account by the Court of Appeal,” he said.
Ramkarpal, who had previously stressed on the importance of leave being granted to Sam to appeal her conviction, had also offered the services of DAP’s national legal bureau to represent her in the filing and hearing of her applications.
Sam was today allowed to be released on bail with a RM10,000 bond by the Court of Appeal, with the three-judge bench also granting her leave to challenge her conviction. – The Vibes, April 18, 2022
