Did the AG omit key context in the contempt application?

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Attorney General Accused of Withholding Context in Contempt Application

Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah's lawyer has accused Attorney General (AG) Tommy Thomas of failing to provide full disclosure to the court concerning a contempt of court case against Shafee. The core of the accusation is that the AG's initial application did not fully inform the court that Shafee's allegedly contemptuous statement was, in fact, a response to a journalist's question. This omission, the defence argues, is critical to understanding the nature and intent of Shafee's remarks.
Context of Shafee's Statement Not Fully Disclosed

David Thomas Mathews, representing Shafee, argued that the court was not made aware that the statement under scrutiny was an answer to a journalist's query regarding Shafee's confidence in winning cases involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Mathews contended that the AG's initial application failed to include this crucial context, which he stated was imperative for the court to make a fair judgment.
Statement Characterised as Off-the-Cuff Remark

Mathews asserted that Shafee's statement was an informal, "off-the-cuff" response to a direct question, rather than a pre-prepared or deliberate statement intended to undermine the judiciary. He highlighted that the question about Shafee's chances of success was conspicuously absent from the documents presented by the AG's office, preventing the court from fully appreciating the circumstances surrounding the statement.
AG's Stance on Public Perception Deemed Invalid

Furthermore, Mathews challenged the AG's assertion that Shafee's comments on judicial impartiality could affect public perception. He argued that this stance was invalid because it referred to an incident that had not yet occurred, hinging on the eventual outcome of the Najib Razak cases. Mathews contended that public perception could not be contemptuous of a future event, making the AG's argument speculative.
Allegations of Retaliation in Contempt Proceedings

The defence also alleged that the contempt proceedings against Shafee were initiated as a retaliatory measure by the AG due to comments Shafee made about the prosecution team during the same media interview. Mathews suggested that the application was brought forward largely due to dissatisfaction with Shafee's criticisms of the prosecution's practices in Najib's SRC International Sdn Bhd case, which also arose from questions posed by reporters.

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Did the AG omit key context in the contempt application?

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