National Criminal Law Conference 2026 Insight. Strategy. Justice

Speaker

V Sithambaram, Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn)

V Sithambaram was called to the English Bar in 1978 and admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1979. With over four decades of experience, he has appeared in criminal, civil, corporate and commercial matters before all levels of court. He previously served as Chairman of the Penang Bar Committee and Co-Chairperson of the Bar Council Criminal Law Sub-Committee, and has held academic appointments, including Adjunct Professor of Law at Universiti Utara Malaysia.

He has acted in various cases and has been appointed by fiat by the Attorney General, including as lead prosecutor, in the SRC International prosecution. He continues to speak at regional legal conferences and Bar advocacy programmes.

M Athimulan, Criminal and Civil Litigation Counsel

M Athimulan was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1988 and has 38 years of litigation experience in criminal and civil matters. He has appeared in capital cases, corruption trials, commercial crime matters, money laundering prosecutions, forfeiture proceedings and securities-related offences.

His civil practice includes judicial review, contractual disputes, injunctions, industrial relations, tort claims, intellectual property matters and constitutional litigation. He teaches Evidence at Universiti Utara Malaysia and trains officers from the Attorney General’s Chambers (“AGC”) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department. He has also served on national law reform committees.

Kitson Foong, Senior Partner, Kit & Associates

Kitson Foong has more than 35 years’ experience in criminal defence, appellate advocacy, regulatory compliance and corporate investigations. He has acted in matters involving political figures, corporate officers and financial institutions, and advises on corporate governance, financial crime exposure and enforcement risks involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (“MACC”), Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC”), Bank Negara Malaysia (“BNM”) and the Royal Malaysia Police (Polis Diraja Malaysia, “PDRM”).

He has provided training to officers from the Institute for Judicial and Legal Training (“ILKAP”), the PDRM College, and the Department of Chemistry Malaysia. He serves on the Criminal Law Reform Committee (“CLRC”), a Malaysian government body established to review and reform the Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act 1950. He also contributes to the Malaysian Bar Course curriculum.

Amer Hamzah Arshad, Head of Chambers (Criminal), AmerBON Advocates

Amer Hamzah Arshad was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1999 after completing his LL.B (Hons) at the University of Leeds. His practice covers criminal and civil litigation, with appearances before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court. His criminal practice includes commercial crime, corruption, money laundering, drug-trafficking, capital offences and national security.

He also advises on regulatory investigations involving securities, employment, environmental and co-operative legislation. His civil litigation practice includes judicial review, constitutional issues, contractual disputes and defamation. Amer frequently speaks at Malaysian Bar events and civil society conferences.

S Shanmugamoorthy Chinniah, Retired Senior Assistant Commissioner, Royal Malaysia Police; Advocate and Solicitor, Pandi Durai Yogamani & Co  

Dato’ S Shanmugamoorthy is a retired Senior Assistant Commissioner with 37 years of service in the Royal Malaysia Police (Polis Diraja Malaysia, “PDRM”), including 25 years in the Criminal Investigation Department.  He previously served as Officer-in-Charge of Police District (“OCPD”) Sentul and later as Principal Assistant Director of the D4 Division at Bukit Aman.  He has led investigations into major national incidents, including the Lahad Datu incursion, and the MH370 and MH17 plane crashes, and has contributed to policy discussions on criminal registration, pre-trial detention and extradition.  He lectures widely on investigative practice and has authored several reference texts used by enforcement agencies.

Dato’ Seri Dr Bhupinder Singh, Associate Professor, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland and University College Dublin Malaysia Campus

Dato’ Seri Dr Bhupinder Singh is a senior forensic pathologist with over four decades of service in government hospitals, including Penang Hospital and Hospital Kuala Lumpur. His work covers forensic pathology, medico-legal practice and academic teaching at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland and University College Dublin Malaysia Campus (“RUMC”), as well as at Universiti Sains Malaysia. He has served on national inquiries and task forces, including the Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission and the investigation panel on the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim. He has also contributed to specialty accreditation, forensic pathology training and various professional bodies, and has presented papers in both local and international forums.

Salim Bashir, Past President, Malaysian Bar (2020–2021)

Salim Bashir has more than 25 years of experience in criminal litigation, public law and regulatory matters. He served as President of the Malaysian Bar from 2020 to 2021 and was the Secretary of the Malaysian Bar from 2019 to 2020. He has also held various roles, including Chairman of the Selangor Bar Committee (2015–2017) and Co-Chairperson of the Bar Council Criminal Law Committee (2014–2019).

His practice covers criminal trials, appeals, public interest litigation and constitutional matters. He has handled several matters involving custodial deaths and homicide investigations. Salim is an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam; a Certificate of Legal Practice (“CLP”) examiner; and a regular Continuing Professional Development (“CPD”) speaker.

YA Puan Roz Mawar binti Rozain, High Court Judge

YA Puan Roz Mawar binti Rozain began her legal career with pupillage at Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill in 1995 and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1996. She served as a legal assistant in the Corporate and Banking Litigation division at the firm.

She joined the SC in 1999 in the Prosecution and Civil Department and served as a Deputy Public Prosecutor. She became Head of Department in 2018 and was appointed Director of Enforcement in 2020. She is the first “homegrown” appointee to the role of Director, having progressed through the Commission over two decades.

YA Puan Roz Mawar was appointed to the Bench on 4 Feb 2022. She initially served in the criminal court at the Kuala Lumpur High Court before transferring, after seven months, to preside over the civil court.

Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Advocate and Solicitor, Hisyam Teh

Hisyam Teh Poh Teik is a practitioner in criminal law with experience in trial and appellate matters.  A graduate of the National University of Singapore, he has represented clients in cases involving serious offences, evidentiary issues and questions of criminal procedure across all court levels.  He has appeared in a number of matters involving complex factual and legal disputes in criminal litigation.  He has also written on aspects of criminal law, including a recent text intended as a reference for practitioners.

Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Advocate and Solicitor, Shafee & Co.

Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s career spans close to five decades. His practice focuses on criminal law, constitutional matters and human rights. He currently serves as lead counsel for former Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak in the 1MDB and SRC international trials and appeals.

He holds an LL.B degree from the University of Malaya (now Universiti Malaya), an LL.M degree from the London School of Economics and an LL.D degree from the University of East London. He began his career with the AGC before founding his own practice, Shafee & Co.

He has served as a Commissioner for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (“SUHAKAM”) for the full term (2004–2010) and as Malaysia’s Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (“AICHR”) for the full term. He was the Chairman of AICHR in 2015, when Malaysia held the ASEAN Chair.

Baljit Singh Sidhu, Senior Partner, Shukor Baljit & Partners

Baljit Singh Sidhu is the Senior Partner at Shukor Baljit & Partners and has been practising criminal law for over three decades. His work covers a range of criminal matters, including economic and financial crime, serious offences and advisory work relating to enforcement processes. He has represented the Malaysian Bar in discussions with relevant agencies in consultations on proposed amendments to criminal legislation and procedural reforms. Baljit also appears regularly as counsel in criminal trials and appellate matters, and contributes to dialogues on developments within the criminal justice system.

M Ramachelvam, Partner, Rama-Rozi & Assoc.

M Ramachelvam is an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, admitted in 1985 and in continuous practice since.  He has experience in both civil and criminal litigation.  He currently serves as Co-Chairperson of the Bar Council Migrants and Refugees Committee, Bar Council Civil Law and Law Reform Committee, and Bar Council Task Force on IPCMC and Police Accountability.  He was previously appointed to the Government’s Independent Committee on the Management of Foreign Workers, and is a member of several committees under the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform).  He also serves as President of the National Human Rights Society (“HAKAM”).

Sathish Mavath Ramachandran, Partner, Deol & Gill

Sathish Mavath Ramachandran was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) in 1993 and admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1994. His practice areas include corporate advisory, governance, technology law, data protection, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and commercial documentation.

He serves on several Bar Council committees, including the Corporate and Commercial Committee, Conveyancing Practice Committee and the Cyber and Privacy Laws Committee. He is the Chairperson of the Bar Council Personal Data Protection Committee and the Deputy Chairperson of MyBar Ageing Rights Advisory (“MBARA”) Committee. He also serves on the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board and participates in national working groups on reforms to the Contracts Act 1950 and on artificial intelligence (“AI”) regulation.