Lawyer Baljit Singh Sidhu told FMT that Manjeet died at his home in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, early this morning.

The criminal lawyer was previously involved in several high-profile cases, including representing one of the convicts in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and her three aides 14 years ago.

Manjeet also represented Abdul Razak Baginda, a former aide to Najib Razak, in a RM100 million civil suit filed by the late Altantuya Shaariibuu’s family.

In 2018, he and the law firm of Messrs Americk Sidhu sued then Pahang menteri besar Adnan Yaakob to recover legal fees for representing him in a defamation action against an Umno-owned publication.

The suit was dropped after a settlement was reached with Adnan.

Manjeet was with the Attorney-General’s Chambers until the late 1970s before he went into private practice. He used to be a deputy public prosecutor and was a magistrate for a brief period.

He served as Bar president from 1991 to 1992 and was also a past president of the Royal Lake Club.

Lawyer M Visvanathan said Manjeet was a long-time friend of his and was one of the best criminal lawyers during his heyday.

“His cross-examination of prosecution witnesses was an art and a joy (to watch),” he said.