Tuesday, January 12, 2021

The NSW Law Society continues to ignore reports against its College Of Law's business in Malaysia; failed to inform Bar Council Malaysia about ongoing problems with its College of Law

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 


As previously reported:

 The Malaysian investigation into the College Of Law Sydney's business in Malaysia has been escalated. Brought to public attention by a story in the investigative website New Malaysia Times, there is now an official investigation by a Malaysian government agency into the work of senior Malaysian judicial officers who dealt with the College and its officers.

The NSW Law Society is the founding member of the College Of Law, and it is more than aware of problems with its College Of Law's teaching programmes. As industry paper Justinian reported, the College Of Law lost market share in the PLT market, despite its NSW legal establishment antecedents. 

The  Bar Council Malaysia relies on the NSW Law Society to advise it about any issues concerning its members, and of course its related entities, that may harm the profession in Malaysia.

The NSW Law Society has not only failed to inform the Bar Council Malaysia, it has also failed to act against its own members who manage the College Of Law, despite the New Malaysia Times report being in the public domain since 2019.


 

TO BE READ WITH 


Sunday, November 29, 2020

Escalating investigation into the College Of Law Sydney's business in Malaysia calls for intervention by Cth AG Christian Porter : Cth intervention required given regulatory failures by NSW AG Speakman and his officers at the NSW LPAB

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 


The Malaysian investigation into the College Of Law Sydney's business in Malaysia has been escalated. Brought to public attention by a story in the investigative website New Malaysia Times, there is now an official investigation by a Malaysian government agency into the work of senior Malaysian judicial officers who dealt with the College and its officers.

As reported last year on this blog the questions about the College's activities in Malaysia had been put by this writer to the two parties ultimately responsible for regulating the College's activities, the Attorney General NSW Mark Speakman and the Legal Professional Admission Board NSW.

The NSW LPAB and the AG Speakman had however chosen to not act on the information provided, and instead chose to accuse this writer of harassment, and  threatening and intimidating the AG and the College's management.

The NSW LPAB and the AG have gone so far as to object to the Attorney General Malaysia being informed about the  College's activities in Malaysia. 

They have also excluded from the LPAB's 2018 and earlier Annual Reports , which the AG tables in the NSW Parliament, complaints against the College and its management, and in particular statements on the official record that they have made in support of the College in response to the complaints.

NSW AG Speakman's ongoing attempts cover-up these matters despite the College's cavalier conduct overseas while relying on the NSW legal establishment's imprimatur  puts the Commonwealth Attorney General  Christian Porter  in a position where he must intervene in order to save the country  embarrassment. 


TO BE READ WITH 



Sunday, July 21, 2019

Malaysia will investigate NSW AG and LPAB oversight of the College Of Law: College's Malaysian business removes protective mantle; likely to further expose LPAB Annual report exclusions

by Ganesh Sahathevan

by Ganesh Sahathevan


The story below was published by the well connected Malaysian investigative new site New Malaysia Times. An investigation by all the relevant Malaysian authorities can be expected, and that will involve a forensic examination of the College Of Law Sydney.

Questions about the College's activities in Malaysia have been put by this writer to the two parties ultimately responsible for regulating the College's activities , the Attorney General NSW Mark Speakman and the Legal Professional Admission Board NSW.

The queries have been met with accusations, by the LPAB and the AG of harassment , threat and intimidation by this writer of the College's management.They have gone so far as to object to the Attorney General Malaysia being informed about the  College's activities in Malaysia
They have also excluded from the LPAB's 2018 and earlier Annual Reports , which the AG tables in the NSW Parliament complaints against the College and its management; and in particular statements on the official record that they have made in support of the College.

All the above is  now likely to be investigated in Malaysia.
END









Bar Council education ‘JV’ must be clarified

By  , in Scandal on July 19, 2019 . Tagged width:  ,  , 


KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 – The Malaysian Bar Council launched its first education venture, a LLM in Malaysian Legal Practise (LLM), last year in collaboration with the College Of Law Australia.
The LLM does not seem to have the approval of Malaysia’s Legal Professional Qualifying Board (LPQB) but the website for the course, which is hosted in Australia, prominently displays the Bar Council crest.
bar council
The crest has not been used before to promote a course of study, and queries put to Bar Council President Fareed Gafoor about the use of the crest have been acknowledged but remain unanswered.
NMT has however sighted an email from Fareed dated Friday, May 24, 2019 with regards the LLM and the use of the crest where he states:
Dear Rajen,
We can’t remain silent on this.
Abdul Fareed Bin Abdul Gafoor
Sent from my iPad
It is understood that “Rajen” refers to  Rajen Devaraj, Chief Executive Officer of the Bar Council Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur.
The Bar has remained silent for nearly 2 months since.
Key person suddenly retired during extensive query
The College of Law used to be represented in Malaysia by its Director, Peter Tritt. Tritt have been queried extensively about the LLM and about the College’s business in Malaysia but has refused to provide answers. Tritt has been based in Kuala Lumpur since 2017 but announced on Friday that he had “retired” from the College on 30 June 2019.
It is understood that Tritt has forwarded queries sent him to his head office in Sydney and hence it appears that Tritt is under orders from his Chief Executive, Neville Carter, to remain silent.
Questionable advertising claims?
In advertising on the College’s website Carter has claimed that he had established a Professional Legal Training course for Malaysian Law students seeking admission to practise in Malaysia. There seems to be no evidence of such a course, or of any national level training course for the existing Certificate of Legal Practise.
Carter has also claimed to have produced the “inaugural” Handbook in Legal Practise for Malaysia, in the late 80s. A search of the main law libraries in Malaysia directed by the Chief Registrar, Federal Court Malaysia, has not found any such handbook.
He has also claimed to have, during that time to have identified and addressed “gaps” in Malaysian legal practise, but not even those in practice during that period and since have ever heard of him. Nor are senior practitioners aware of  “gaps” that needed that to be addressed by external consultants.
As CEO of the College Carter  has ultimate responsibility for the College’s Malaysian operation headed by Tritt and variously named the “College Of Law Asia Pacific” and the “College Of Law Asia”. A search by NMT has not revealed any entities registered under those names in Malaysia or in Australia, not even a foreign entities registered to conduct business in Malaysia.
Meanwhile the College, in collaboration with the Bar Council continues to sell its LLM and other courses in Malaysia, deriving a fee income from Malaysian courses.
-NMT

See also

AG NSW justifies exclusion of foreign regulatory risks from Dept of Justice annual reports on the basis that he was threatened, intimidated by the information:The matter of Top Group has implications for all regulators (including the NSW Law Soc)

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