KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Mahmud Abdul Jumaat has confirmed he continues to represent the mother of six-year-old Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, who is under remand for helping with the investigation into her autistic son's murder.
Through a statement on his Facebook page, Mahmud clarified that his continuation is based on considerations made after meeting the family.
He shared that on the night of May 31, he received a call from Zayn Rayyan's paternal family at 11pm, after the couple (Zaim and Isma) had been detained and were due to be presented at the Petaling Jaya Court for a remand application the following day.
"I want to stress that this was an initiative by Zayn Rayyan's paternal family, not an NGO endeavour. However, I'm uncertain how the other story emerged.
"On the matter of an official appointment letter, with the purest of intentions, I wanted to help because I felt pity for them. They had not only lost their child but were also facing remand as suspects, a considerable ordeal," he said.
He did not think that the appointment would become a contentious issue with Zayn Rayyan's paternal family, as there is no formal requirement for an official solicitor's appointment letter in criminal cases.
As long as the suspected individual or their family representative is in agreement to appoint the solicitor, that should suffice.
Furthermore, before entering court, he was confirmed by the family of the victim's parents themselves to take on this responsibility, to argue against the remand.
He affirmed his presence in court on that particular day because he was the solicitor summoned by the family.
He questioned the family's actions in calling him for the remand procedure in court if they claimed an appointment had not been made.
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"On Sunday (June 2), Zayn Rayyan's grandfather wanted to meet me since he was not in court for the remand. Therefore, I sincerely invited them to meet and discuss the matter in my office on Monday (June 3), even though it was a public holiday.
"I sacrificed my time to facilitate their affairs, but after that meeting, the next day, I decided not to represent them for specific reasons.
"Suddenly, I was confronted with allegations that I had never been appointed as the solicitor for Zayn Rayyan's parents. I consider this a defamation!
"Why was I in court that day? Why did they contact me that night to come to court, and why did they visit my office that day?" he queried.
Not only that, he said, the family of Zaim, particularly Zaim's mother, had been in touch with him throughout that period, seeking advice and opinions as a solicitor.
However, he stated that on Sunday, Zayn Rayyan's grandfather contacted him via WhatsApp to apologise for the unfolding issue.
Following these events, he hoped that the lawyer appointment issue would not arise again.
Nevertheless, he expressed gratitude to Zayn Rayyan's maternal family for clarifying that his legal team had been assisting the family from the beginning of the case.
"I think we have discussed the solicitor appointment issue enough. Let's hope we can all continue to pray for justice for the soul of Zayn Rayyan.
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"My apologies to all who awaited this explanation. Like all Malaysians, I too seek justice for Zayn Rayyan, who was murdered and cruelly tortured," he concluded.
On the morning of June 4, it was reported that Mahmud from the firm Emir Mahmud & Co confirmed that he no longer represented the couple.
He stated that the decision to cease representation of both parents was based on specific factors.
That same afternoon, solicitor Fahmi Abd Moin confirmed his appointment to represent the couple.
Last Friday (June 7), the father of the male suspect, Zahari Mohd Reba, aged 56, informed the appointment of Mahmud was on the initiative of an NGO.
