Family of slain firefighter Adib drops contempt bid against ex-AG Tommy Thomas
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — The family of late firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim have discontinued their attempt to cite former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas for contempt of court, their lawyers said today.
Following the family’s instructions to stop the appeal filed by Adib's father, the firm of Messrs Mohd Zubir Embong submitted a notice of withdrawal on May 31 May, with the Attorney General’s Chambers also dropping a related appeal.
“Therefore, the family of the late Adib considers the process and proceedings of contempt of court against Tommy Thomas/AGC completed and ended here, and hopes the community can allow the family members of the deceased to continue living by looking ahead and starting a new life,” the firm said in a statement.
At the same time, Adib's father Mohd Kassim Abdul Hamid —who initiated the proceedings four years ago — said the withdrawal did not change the Coroner's Court findings that his son died due to a criminal act which has no time limit.
In the same statement, the law firm confirmed that Adib's family received RM1.5 million compensation from the government on November 29, 2021.
“The decision to withdraw the family's appeal also does not mean that the police cannot continue to search for the people responsible for killing Adib, because criminal investigation has no time limit,” it said.
On August 27, 2019, the Coroner's Court in Shah Alam allowed the contempt proceedings to start, saying that Mohd Kassim's family had proven a prima facie case against the ex-AG.
On January 28 last year, the High Court cleared Thomas of contempt on grounds of non-disclosure of material facts by Mohd Kassim.
It also ruled that the coroner had jurisdiction to hear the complaint against Thomas for allegedly showing disrespect to the court.
A month later, the AGC filed an appeal in the Federal Court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision that the Coroner’s Court had jurisdiction to grant leave to institute contempt proceedings against Thomas.
Adib’s family had also appealed against a High Court ruling that Thomas had the right to appeal and to set aside the leave granted to the coroner’s court to initiate contempt proceedings against him.
Adib, 24, who was a member of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services unit from the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station was critically injured during a riot at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya on November 27, 2018.
He was then taken to the Subang Jaya Medical Centre and later transferred to the National Heart Institute. Despite showing signs of recovery, he died on December 17 that same year.
The Coroner's Court ruled on September 27, 2019 that Adib died as a result of a criminal act by more than two unidentified people.
Several arrests have been made but to date, no one has been charged in relation to his death.
