Ng to appeal against contempt of court ruling in Federal Court

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Dominique Ng

KUCHING: Former Padungan assemblyman Dominique Ng will appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold a High Court ruling of a one-day jail term and a RM30,000 fine in default three months’ imprisonment for contempt of court in 2017.

When contacted today, Ng said he will be filing the appeal at the Federal Court within 30 days starting from yesterday (Monday).

“I am consulting my clients and also my family. Will likely be filing a notice of motion for leave to appeal to the Federal Court.

“Since the stay of execution was not allowed, I have to contemplate being put in jail for failure to pay the RM 30,000 fine. I have 30 days to file the notice of motion to apply for leave to appeal to the Federal Court,” he told The Borneo Post.

The Sarawak Association for People’s Aspiration (Sapa) president said he was hoping the three senior lawyers who assisted him during the committal appeal on a pro bono basis – Arthur Lee, Voon Lee Shan and Henry Ling – would once again assist him at the apex court.

“I am very grateful for their great assistance and solidarity in helping out a fellow advocate in distress,” he said.

Yesterday, the decision to dismiss Ng’s appeal was made by a panel of Court of Appeal judges, namely Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli, Datuk Kamardin Hashim and Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.

The offence was committed by Ng when he was engaged as a lawyer for the villagers from Kampung Haji Wahid in Canada Hill, Miri in a land dispute case in 2017. The villagers were claiming NCR on the land in which a provisional lease was issued to a local company.

On March 6, 2017, Ng’s clients wanted him to apply to the court to get High Court Judge Datuk Lee Heng Cheong to withdraw from presiding over the case. The application was however rejected.

In a video that went viral, Ng was seen talking to clients outside the courtroom, whilst committing contempt of court when describing Lee as “biased” towards him.

Ng was subsequently found guilty of the charge of contempt of court on March 30, 2017 by another High Court Judge, Dean Wayne Daly.

When asked about the land dispute case, Ng said the case is pending judgement.

“The Miri NCR trial has already proceeded to completion recently, with the same judge, and the plaintiffs having to engage a new advocate to replace me. The plaintiffs are the villagers of Kampung Haji Wahid whereas the defendants are Pantai Bayu Indah, the Land and Survey Department and the Sarawak government,” he said.

The trial hearing was completed on Nov 23 this year but so far no dates for the announcement of the ruling have been given yet, he added.