SHAH ALAM: The Coroner’s Court here today allowed an application by Attorney-General Tommy Thomas for a stay of the committal proceedings filed against him over statements he made in connection with the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.
Coroner Rofiah Mohamad made the decision after considering the affidavit and submissions by both parties.
Thomas was represented by senior federal counsel S Narkunavathy, while lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla appeared for Adib’s family.
Thomas had applied for a stay of the committal proceedings pending disposal of a related appeal.
“I do not have concrete information on the appeal by the respondent, which the High Court considered as a criminal appeal,” said Rofiah.
However, she said she regarded the proceedings to be substantive because if the higher court allowed the appeal, it would eliminate the basis of the committal application.
“If the committal application is postponed, the embarrassing situation can be avoided as the High Court has set the hearing date for the appeal,” she said.
The High Court here had set Nov 25 to hear the appeal against the decision of the Coroner’s Court, made on Aug 27, in allowing the committal proceedings against the AG.
Rofiah then set Nov 25 for case management of the committal application if the High Court allowed the AG’s application.
On July 16, Adib’s father Mohd Kassim Abdul Hamid filed an application for a committal order against Thomas for contempt of court involving the inquest to find the cause of his son’s death.
Adib was seriously injured in a riot at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at Subang Jaya on Nov 27 last year. He died 21 days later at the National Heart Institute.
On Sept 29 this year, the Coroner’s Court established that Adib died after he was assaulted by two or three unidentified people during the riot.