KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar Council has urged for the Legal Profession Act 1976 (LPA) to be amended to combat dishonesty and uphold integrity in the legal profession.
Its president, Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab, said the LPA was in "dire need" of reform and the Bar hoped to introduce amendments to the act that would better equip it to deal with dishonesty in the profession.
In a statement today, he said the Bar's efforts on the matter would require the support and cooperation of the government.
"The Malaysian Bar is cognisant of the fact that lawyers occupy a position of trust by virtue of the duties that are carried out on behalf of their clients.
"It must be said that the majority of lawyers perform their duties honestly and in the best interest of their clients. However, it is an inescapable fact that bad hats exist in all positions of trust, including the legal profession.
"As a regulatory body, the Malaysian Bar is required to ensure that lawyers adhere to high professional and ethical standards. The Legal Profession Act 1976 (LPA) provides a number of means to combat professional misconduct, including dishonest acts by lawyers," he said.
He said the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board established in 1992 under Section 93 of the LPA played an important role in combating dishonesty in the legal profession.
Previously, the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) had revealed that lawyers were implicated in 53 cases of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving an estimated RM54.96 million from 2023 until May 15 this year.
CCID director Datuk Seri Mohamed Ramli Yoosuf said 31 of the cases, involving RM35.9 million, were logged last year, and the rest, involving RM19.05 million, were logged up till May 15 this year.
Ramli said one case was reported by a 53-year-old company director at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters.
The man claimed to have been deceived by a legal firm in a land purchase transaction in Johor, resulting in a loss of RM4.8 million.
Ezri said that case involved an individual who was not a lawyer, and the Malaysian Bar had lodged a police report against the person on March 8 at the Dang Wangi police station.
"The Malaysian Bar recognises the efforts and strides made by CCID in dealing with crimes involving lawyers and persons impersonating lawyers.
"We had sought collaboration with the police for an effective means to deal with dishonesty involving the legal profession. Effective collaboration between us is essential if any headway is to be made.
"In this regard, we commend the police and, in particular, CCID assistant director ACP Muhammad Tarmizi Awang for being receptive to our proposal," he added.