Sivananthan

Senior Associate

Nabila Habib read in chambers under Datuk N. Sivananthan and has remained with Sivananthan Advocates & Solicitors since her admission to the Malaysian Bar, working closely with him on serious and complex criminal matters spanning investigations, regulatory enforcement, and court proceedings.

Her practice spans capital and serious offences, corporate and financial crime, corruption investigations, and regulatory prosecutions. She regularly assists in matters under the Dangerous Drugs Act, Penal Code, Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), and MACC Act, with experience in investigative-stage strategy, preparation of detailed written representations to enforcement authorities, and drafting substantive trial and appellate submissions.

Nabila is currently pursuing a Master of Laws (LLM) with the University of London, specialising in Human Rights Law. Her academic focus complements her criminal practice, particularly in matters concerning fair trial rights, custodial safeguards, constitutional protections, and the intersection between enforcement powers and individual liberty.

She has contributed to legal scholarship and professional commentary, including the following:

Co-authoring a chapter on murder jurisprudence in Shaping the Law: Commentaries on the Judgments of Tan Sri Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal (Sweet & Maxwell, 2026);

Contributing to Lexology Panoramic: Anti-Bribery & Corruption;

Authoring “The Sweetheart Defence – Should It Be Acknowledged?” published in the Malayan Law Journal, examining judicial treatment of statutory rape defences and legislative intent; and

Contributing on two occasions to Annotated Statutes of Malaysia (LexisNexis), including updates relating to the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Her work reflects sustained exposure to high-stakes criminal litigation, structured legal analysis, and ongoing engagement with the doctrinal development of Malaysian criminal law.

English, Malay, Tamil

Advocate & Solicitor, High Court of Malaya

LLB (Hons.) International Islamic University of Malaysia