YET ANOTHER DELAY FOR DR IRENE

There has been yet another delay in the struggle for Dr Irene Fernandez to clear her name in the courts. The presiding judge, Yang Arif Hakim Dato’ Haji Mohamad Apandi Bin Haji Ali today told a packed court-room that a computer that was used to store the transcripts of evidence was ‘corrupted by virus’. He was apologetic about the delay and said ‘that this trial has been full of unfortunate events and incidents.’

In fixing the next mention for 10 September to monitor the progress in completing the appeal record, the judge has put down four days each in October and November (Oct 28-30 and Nov 24-28) respectively as the hearing dates. The reasoning is that the one month would give the lawyers time to prepare and get the submissions and arguments ready for the full appeal hearing.

The judge, in also promising to endeavour his ‘level best’ to finish the case by December of this year has ordered the Court Registry to triple its effort and put more people to transcribe the documents and hand-written notes.

We are duly disappointed by the already countless delays and plain mismanagement of this trial and would like to remind the court that Dr Irene has been in judicial limbo for 12 years now. As the country’s final recourse in judicial and legal matters, we stress that we want the courts to be administered in the highest standards. It is a serious matter to anyone when records and transcripts are lost and misplaced and computers get infected with viruses.

In the words of Dr Irene herself: “It is just too long for me, to wait. I am here to seek justice as is the law, but the justice system is now actively punishing me. The delay has already denied me justice.”