Sulaiman Abdullah
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Sulaiman Abdullah (6 July 1946 – 18 December 2023) was a Malaysian lawyer who acted in a number of the country's most famous trials and served as president of the Malaysian Bar Council.[1]
Life and career[edit]
Born G Srinivasan Iyer on 6 July 1946, he was the younger brother of former Malaysia Airlines chairperson G. Rama Iyer and ex-Penang Free School headmaster G. Krishna Iyer.[1] He studied at the SK Wellesley, SK Francis Light and the Penang Free School, all in Penang.[2] He graduated with a law degree from the University of Singapore in 1969 and started his practice the same year.[3]
After marrying Mehrun Siraj and converting to Islam, he took the name Sulaiman Abdullah. Their son Huzir Sulaiman was born in 1973. He later became a prominent playwright.[4]
Sulaiman Abdullah obtained a master's degree in law from University of London in 1979 and a diploma in Syariah Law and Practice from the International Islamic University Malaysia in 1992.[3]
Sulaiman Abdullah was a Universiti Malaya law lecturer and served as both Malaysian Bar secretary (1993-1995) and president (2000-2001).[3] In an interview with the Star in 2007 he said that as a lawyer, he was always interested in the way the nation is governed which was why he first stood for office in the Bar's executive committee shortly after the 1988 judicial crisis.[5]
Sulaiman Abdullah was one of the lead prosecutors against former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in the SRC International case.[2] He was also lawyer for prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in his corruption and sodomy trials, and Anwar called him a trusted friend beyond the courtroom.[6]
Apart from that, he also represented Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin who challenged the legitimacy of Zambry Abdul Kadir's appointment as Perak Mentri Besar in the Perak constitutional crisis case in 2009.[7] Sulaiman also represented Federal and State Islamic agencies in a number of high-profile cases, including the Lina Joy conversion case, and the Catholic Church's challenge to the "Allah” ban.[3]
In later cases, Sulaiman represented former Malaysian Ambassador to the United States Jamaludin Jarjis's widow, Kalsom Ismail in her family matrimonial asset or faraid dispute at the Syariah court.[8] He also represented controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in his defamation cases against DAP leaders M Kulasegaran and P Ramasamy.
Sulaiman Abdullah died on 18 December 2023, at the age of 77.[1] His wife Mehrun predeceased him on 29 June 2021.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Former Bar Council president Sulaiman dies". 19 December 2023. Archived from the original on 19 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ a b "In memory of Datuk Haji Sulaiman Abdullah (8 July 1946 – 18 December 2023) — Karen Cheah Yee Lynn | Malay Mail". 19 December 2023. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Who is Sulaiman Abdullah, lead prosecutor in Najib's RM42m case?". September 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Former Suhakam commissioner Mehrun Siraj passes away". 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ https://www.malaysianbar.org.my/article/news/bar-news/news/raising-the-bar
- ^ "Sulaiman a trusted friend beyond the courtroom, says Anwar | Free Malaysia Today (FMT)". Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "A tribute: Sulaiman Abdullah was a legend of civil and syariah courts - the Malaysian Bar". Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "Prominent lawyer Sulaiman passes away at 77". 19 December 2023. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.