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SINGAPORE: The Attorney General’s Office (AGC) filed a disciplinary complaint with the Singapore Bar Association for “possible professional misconduct” by attorney M Ravi, the AGC said in a press release on Friday (October 23).
The complaint was filed after Carson Law Chambers’ attorney did not apologize and unconditionally retracted the allegations related to the case of Gobi Avedian, a drug trafficker whose death sentence was overturned by the Court of Appeal.
READ: AGC demands an apology from lawyer M Ravi, asks him to retract the accusations on the death row case
In a video interview with The Online Citizen (TOC) about the court’s decision on October 19, Mr. Ravi “made serious allegations implying that the prosecutor acted in bad faith or maliciously in filing the appeal” and that ” this alleged misconduct led to the imposition of the death penalty “on Gobi, the AGC said.
“The Court of Appeal did not make such adverse conclusions against the prosecutor. Mr. Ravi’s accusations are false, misleading and unfairly and unlawfully discredit AGC,” it added.
The AGC said that Ravi did not comply with his request to apologize and unconditionally retract the accusations he had made against AGC before noon Thursday. He had made the request to the lawyer through a letter sent Tuesday.
In filing the complaint with the Lawyers Society, AGC said that Mr. Ravi “does not meet the standards of professional conduct expected of a lawyer and court attorney.”
He added: “Since the matter is pending before the Lawyers Association, AGC will not comment further.”
Responding to the AGC’s move, Ravi told CNA that the Attorney General was “abusing the process.”
He said: “The Attorney General is abusing the process, as a complaint to the Bar Association will land in a disciplinary court, because the Chief Justice has no discretion, but Parliament orders him to convene a disciplinary court.
“Unlike a complaint against the attorney general or public prosecutors, for example the case of Ms. Parti Liyani, the Chief Justice has the discretion to allow a complaint to be investigated by a disciplinary court.”
He added: “When a complaint is filed against a lawyer, the Attorney General enjoys a special status where the Chief Justice does not have the power to say ‘no’. This is unconstitutional and violates my right to equality.”
Ms. Liyani, who had her conviction for theft overturned, was granted permission on Friday by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon for an investigation into her misconduct complaint against two prosecutors in her robbery trial. .
Mr. Ravi said he will “initiate proceedings to challenge this unequal position,” and take the Lawyers Society and the Attorney General “to court for this.”
“The Law Society has a statutory duty under the Law on the Legal Profession to protect the interests of lawyers and the independence of the Bar Association,” he added.
