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(NST) Prominent lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah failed in his bid to be re-elected as member of the Malaysian Bar Council.

He came out 13th in the race among 23 contestants.

The Legal Profession Act (LPA) empowers lawyers to annually pick 12 members through direct election.

Shafee, who is also a human rights commissioner (Suhakam), polled 1,363 votes.

In the previous election, Shafee came out fourth.

Those re-elected were Hendon Mohamed, Sulaiman Abdullah, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Datuk Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Yeo Yang Poh, Lim Chee Wee, Cecil Rajendra, Christopher Leong Sau Foo, and Low Beng Choo.

The new faces are Andrew Khoo Chin Hock, George Varughese and Zarizana Abdul Aziz.

Only 3,683 of the 12,747 lawyers eligible to vote returned their ballots.

Council secretary Lim Chee Wee said the three scrutineers announced the results on Tuesday night.

The LPA stipulates that the council should consist of 36 members, including the 12 elected through direct election.

Another 22 will come from the state Bar committees, while the immediate past president of the Malaysian Bar and deputy president will also sit in the 2009/2010 council.

The 36 will then elect among themselves the office bearers after the Malaysian Bar annual meeting in March next year.

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