Shafee says will miss Sri Ram, conveys condolences to his family

PETALING JAYA: The late Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram was a lawyer full of surprises, says Tan Sri Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Muhammad Shafee, a lawyer who has frequently crossed swords with the former Federal Court judge, said that he will miss the latter's antics and "mischief" in court.

"The late Datuk Gopal Sri Ram was... full of surprises.

"I knew him when he was a young eager practitioner and I was a ‘rookie’ deputy public prosecutor in 1977.

"We were never meant to be on the same side from the word ‘go’, always crossing swords in many celebrated criminal and civil cases.

ALSO READ: Veteran lawyer Gopal Sri Ram passes away at 79

"Even when he was on the Bench, I felt that he was my opponent to a point when I was asked to show cause for contempt in the Metramac case at the Court of Appeal.

"I stood firm and the contempt process just disappeared, sine die.

"He had an unusual memory of law and history. He was also full of anecdotes.

"What I liked most about him was his never-ageing in thinking; always learning and applying new ideas.

"My sincere condolences to his family and close ones,” Muhammad Shafee said when contacted on Sunday (Jan 29).

The late Sri Ram was leading the prosecution teams in two high-profile cases: the 1MDB-Tanore and solar hybrid project corruption trials, in which Muhammad Shafee led the defence teams.

ALSO READ: 'He was a national treasure': Sri Ram's passing mourned by legal fraternity

Muhammad Shafee had tried many times to remove Sri Ram but failed.

Sri Ram passed away at the age of 79 on Sunday.

He had been admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 18 for a lung infection.