Bar Council sets up panel to probe bribery claim against lawyer

Council Chairman Aston Schippers SC yesterday said that this was the first step in investigating the allegations by the youngest of the four men allegedly hired by Dina Rodrigues to carry out the murder. Schippers said Simon had not yet been approached by the Bar Council, but said it had started the process by appointing a disciplinary sub-committee, which comprised a male senior counsel and female junior counsel. He would not name them. The investigation would take time because the Bar Council would like to wait until the criminal trial had finished and look at the judge’s findings on the teenager’s evidence. Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)

Simon says he has nothing to hide. ‘At this point in time the only thing I can say is obviously that I need to speak to the Bar Council first,’ said Simon. ‘Once I have spoken to the Bar Council, I will speak fully to the media. I have nothing to hide.’ According to a report on the IoL site, Simon, who represented the teenager and the other three male accused until the teenager decided to break his silence about his role in the killing, said: ‘I did what I was expected to do. That\'s all.’ All the other accused have chosen not to testify. Full report on IoL site