Haniff Khatri invites Tommy Thomas to online dialogue

(FMT) – Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla has invited former attorney-general Tommy Thomas to participate in an online dialogue titled “Between politics and the law” to discuss the latter’s explosive memoirs, “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness”.

In a statement, Haniff said an official invite had been sent to Thomas to attend the session on Tuesday, Feb 9 by the organiser JOMChannel, which hosts the regular programme on its Facebook page.

Haniff, who is a regular guest on the programme, added that though it was usually held in Bahasa Malaysia, they would make an exception in this case.

“We undertake that subject to your attendance, the programme will be conducted in English,” the invitation letter said.

The invite also stated that Thomas was welcomed to join in at any time during the programme, which is scheduled to start at 8.30pm and end at 10pm, with an empty seat to be made available on stage for him.

Haniff, whose past clients include former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, also reassured Thomas that the discussions would be based on the facts and would be conducted fairly.

Haniff has been critical of Thomas’ memoirs, saying that an AG cannot publicly disclose the advice he had given the government during his tenure. He added that it was akin to a breach of the lawyer-client privilege.

Haniff was also critical over Thomas’ claim that Dr Mahathir had given up his post “voluntarily” as PM, saying the elder politician had done so according to the law.

Several parties have lodged police reports against Thomas over the book, including his predecessor, Mohamed Apandi Ali, and retired director-general of the Judicial and Legal Training Institute Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria.

They have accused Thomas of criminal defamation and offences under the Official Secrets Act.

Thomas’ memoirs details the achievements and failures of the former Pakatan Harapan government among other key issues, such as the prosecution of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho and 1MDB, the extradition of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, and the resignation of Mahathir.