Dominique Ng
KUCHING (Sept 9): Former Padungan assemblyman Dominique Ng has failed in his bid to overturn the Kuching High Court’s order sentencing him to one day in jail for committing contempt of court.
This was after the Federal Court today dismissed his application and ordered that he serve the jail sentence.
“My committal leave application has been dismissed by the Federal Court just now. I now am going to the Kuching High Court to serve out my one-day jail sentence. I have to fulfil my sentence forthwith,” he said when contacted.
He would not comment on whether the jail sentence would have any bearing on his legal career or political endeavours.
In December 2018, Ng had appealed against the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the High Court ruling of a one-day jail term and an RM30,000 fine in default three months’ imprisonment for the offence committed in 2017.
The Sarawak Association for People’s Aspiration (Sapa) president and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Bandar Kuching chairman was represented pro bono by counsels Arthur Lee, Voon Lee Shan, and Henry Ling.
The three senior counsels were assisted by counsels Berrylin Ng, James Hii and Tevaasiny Vijayakumar.
On Dec 17, 2019 the Court of Appeal dismissed Ng’s appeal against the High Court judgement.
Ng committed the offence when he was engaged as lawyer for villagers from Kampung Haji Wahid in Canada Hill, Miri in a land dispute case in 2017.
The villagers had claimed Native Customary Rights (NCR) on land which was under provisional lease issued to a company.
On March 6, 2017, Ng’s clients wanted him to apply to the court to have High Court Judge Datuk Lee Heng Cheong withdraw from presiding over the case but the application was rejected.
In a video that went viral, Ng was seen speaking to his 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 High Court Judge Dean Wayne Daly.