Mahathir Licik - Namun Ada Yang Tidak Lupa
2 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Monday, May 26, 2008 at 12:12 AM.
Di Kelantan, laporan polis dibuat oleh ketua AMK negeri Wan Khairul Ihsan Wan Muhammad di ibu pejabat polis daerah Kota Bharu pada pukul 1 tengah hari.
Wan Khairul, yang diiringi 50 anggota AMK Kelantan, ketika ditemui selepas itu berkata laporan itu bertujuan meminta polis membuka kertas siasatan dan menyiasat segera keenam-enam individu berkenaan, lapor Bernama.
Baca seterusnya di sini
Video Lingam & Mahathir - Ada yang terasa nak muntah?
4 Comments Related Articles Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 2:00 AM.
Earlier:
and now:
Malaysia's Mahathir challenges govt to charge him
JOHOR BAHRU, May 17 (AFP) - Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday challenged the government to charge him for his alleged involvement in a judge-fixing scandal during his rule.
The government on Friday released a report that found evidence of an "insidious" conspiracy to influence the appointment of judges and had listed Mahathir, along with other top figures, as being involved.
Following the release of the report, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's cabinet agreed for the attorney-general's chambers to immediately investigate the allegations against those identified in the report, including Mahathir.
"I welcome it," the 82-year-old influential leader said at a meeting in southern Johor state.
"I want them to charge me in court. Only then will I have the opportunity to expose more conflicts faced by the judges, including those who have implicated me," he told reporters.
The report was prepared by a royal commission that investigated a video clip allegedly showing top lawyer V.K. Lingam brokering judge appointments.
"We are of the view that there was, conceivably, an insidious movement by (V.K. Lingam) with the covert assistance of his close friends," it said, citing business tycoon Vincent Tan -- Mahathir's close associate -- and secretary general of the ruling United Malays National Organisation, Tengku Adnan.
"In the process, Tun Mahathir Mohamad was also entangled," the report said, referring to the man who ruled Malaysia with an iron fist for 22 years.
The report said there was "sufficient cause" to invoke laws including those on sedition and corruption against "some of the principal individuals involved." But it did not specify who should face prosecution.
During the commission inquiry, Mahathir testified that he was not influenced by his associates when he selected judges.
His arch foe and former deputy premier, Anwar Ibrahim, unleashed a furore last year by releasing the clip, which apparently showed Lingam telling a person identified as former chief justice Ahmad Fairuz that that he would put him forward for a top job.
Mahathir terasa bahang klip video Lingam?
2 Comments Related Articles Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 1:00 AM.
Mahathir mendakwa klip video kontroversi Lingam ditimbulkan dengan tujuan untuk membabitkan beliau.Mahathir juga mendakwa Anwar Ibrahim sengaja mendedahkan video tersebut untuk menjatuhkan kredibiliti Lingam yang merupakan peguamnya dalam kes saman Anwar terhadapnya.
Walau apa pun jangan tersilap sangka, Mahathir sentiasa beberapa langkah kehadapan. Apakah Mahathir akan terus berjaya?
Mahathir: Video Lingam diguna untuk 'peras ugut' - MalaysiaKini
Mahathir praises and criticises federal govt - Sun2Surf
'Looks like me' Lingam - Helah tak menjadi?
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 11:44 PM.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 - It looks like me and it sounds like me, said Datuk V.K Lingam.
He denied that it was former Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim on the other side of the line.
“Irrespective of what others have said, it looks like me, it sounds like me. (more here)
Also Lingam: ‘I talk rubbish when I drink’Malaysia’s judiciary reputation in the dock
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on at 12:15 AM.
Lingam was not drunk when he spoke - MT
A royal commission probing a scandal on judicial appointments that the video spawned has strayed beyond its narrow terms of reference and put the judiciary’s reputation in the dock.
The 14-minute video, showing a prominent lawyer boasting of his ability to influence judicial appointments and his connections with former premier Mahathir Mohamad, has also added a political dimension.
It may force Mahathir, who clashed with judges during his 22-year rule, to go on the defensive — a welcome respite for his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is keen to avoid more scathing attacks from his outspoken predecessor ahead of elections widely expected by the end of March.
“It’s not about individuals really. It’s about the whole system,” said Ambiga Sreenevasan, president of
The judiciary, under question since the 1980s over its independence and integrity has reached a critical juncture.
Once regarded as one of the more independent institutions in
Little faith
Foreign investors, too, have shown little faith in the Malaysian system. Lawyers said more and more foreign firms prefer to seek legal redress in
“I personally think it’s because of lack of confidence. There could be any number of reasons, but I would say confidence is certainly one of them,” Ambiga said.
Tunku Abdul Aziz,a former head of Transparency International in
“Nothing is more calculated to kill off international confidence in a country than for its judiciary ... to be perceived to be less than transparent and accountable,” he wrote in his newspaper column at the weekend.
The video shows Lawyer Kanagalingam Vellupillai, better known as VK Lingam (picture above), unaware he is being filmed speaking on his mobile phone — allegedly with the country’s then third-ranking judge, Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Hamid.
Mahathir told the commission last week he personally decided the appointment of top judges during his reign, discarding the advice of the chief justice on at least one occasion.
The opposition has blasted the 82-year-old Mahathir, who ruled with an iron grip before retiring in late 2003, as being ”evasive and uncharacteristically unforgetful” during the testimony.
Mahathir aside, another thorn on Abdullah’s side is de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who leaked the video in September and quickly turned it into a major election issue.
Mahathir sacked his former deputy in 1998, then had him arrested and jailed before he was freed in 2004. Under the law, he cannot stand for office until April due to his conviction.
Analysts said Abdullah, who swept into power promising a cleaner government and less corruption, should seize the opportunity to silent his critics and reform the judiciary.
“We can change it very easily. Now the chief justice is so straight,” the Bar’s Ambiga said. “I can tell you confidence will come back very fast. But they must want to change.”
Some analysts question whether the political will is there, despite Abdullah’s ability to ram through reforms, given his ruling coalition’s overwhelming majority in parliament.
“At the end of the day, nothing will change. Everybody, from Anwar to the Bar Council, just wanted to settle scores at the expense of the judiciary,” said one political analyst.
Video klip Lingam adalah benar - Loh Mui Fah
2 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 9:24 AM.
Lingam Tapper - Whatablog
Man fears for his life (1)
Man fears for his life (2)
Man fears for his life (3)
Lingam clip is true, says man
KUALA LUMPUR, NST, Jan 13 - A businessman said yesterday that the Lingam video clip was taken by his son.
Loh Mui Fah claimed the incident took place at Datuk V.K. Lingam's house in Kelana Jaya in late December 2001.He had gone to Lingam's house with his son to obtain legal advice on family and business matters.
Loh, 57, claimed that whatever was said in the video clip was true. However, he claimed neither he nor his son knew how the video clip was made public.
The video clip allegedly shows lawyer Lingam brokering judicial appointments with a senior judge.
When contacted, Lingam declined to comment on Loh's claims. However, he said that he would give evidence before the commission.
In an interview at his lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu's house last night, Loh said: "I was not aware then that my son was recording Lingam's telephone conversation. My son, who is now overseas, confirmed that he was responsible."
Saying his son was an avid photographer, Loh claimed that his son had earlier taken photographs of the lawyer's house and a discussion between Lingam and his sister, also a lawyer, on a legal matter when they were in the house.
However, he said, it was a mystery how the clip was made public. He said: " My son claimed that it was stored in a computer and wondered how it went to a third party."
He said he only knew of the existence of the video clip after it was talked about.
Loh said he and his son were prepared to testify before the Royal Commission of Inquiry.
"I will be at the Jalan Duta Court complex to testify before the panel. My son is also prepared to do the same."
Loh, who has business interests here and overseas, said he had no interest in the telephone conversation Lingam had with the unidentified person.
"The conversation started after he (Lingam) received a call. Whatever that was spoken and now widely publicised is true," he claimed.
Loh said it was also true that he posed several questions to Lingam after the conversation ended, which included who he was talking to.
"He told me it was the Chief Judge of Malaya," he added.
Loh claimed that since then, unknown individuals had been trailing him and his office had been broken into on several occasions.
Americk Singh said the evidence of his client and the client's son was important as it was covered by the terms and reference of the commission.
"We feel they can go straight to the commission and assist in the inquiry. They need not give any statement to the ACA first."
Last December, the government announced the setting up of the commission headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohamed Nor.
The commission members are Tan Sri Amar Steve Shim Lip Kiong, Datuk Mahadev Shankar, Puan Sri Zaitun Zawiyah Puteh and Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Khoo Kay Kim.
The terms of reference of the commission are:
- to ascertain the authenticity of the video clip;
- to identify the speaker, the person he was speaking to in the video clip and the persons mentioned in the conversation;
- to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the content of the conversation in the video clip;
- to determine whether any act of misbehaviour had been committed by the person or persons identified or mentioned in the video clip; and,
- to recommend any appropriate course of action to be taken against the person or persons identified or mentioned in the video clip should such person or persons be found to have committed any misbehaviour.
Sixteen witnesses have been subpoenaed to testify before the commission.
Video Lingam - Royal Commission?
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 11:40 PM.
See also Rocky's Bru Lingam tape "child play"?
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) Nov 17 - Malaysia will set up a panel with wide powers to probe opposition claims that a senior lawyer used political connections to fix judicial appointments, the state news agency, Bernama, reported.The move follows recommendations for such an inquiry - which Malaysians call
a Royal Commission - by a three-member panel the government set up to decide the authenticity of a videotape released by the opposition in September to support the claim.
Malaysian lawyers and opposition parties have been pressing for a royal commission, saying the three-member independent panel did not have enough powers to do the job.
"We've agreed to set up the commission. Now we're deciding on the terms of reference, the tasks to be undertaken by the commission," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters, according to a Bernama report late on Friday.
The video has touched a nerve in the judiciary, whose reputation has been under question since the late 1980s, when the head of the Supreme Court was removed from office after a clash between then premier Mahathir Mohamad and the judiciary.
Mahathir also introduced constitutional changes in 1988 that limited judges' powers and, critics say, effectively ensured that government decisions could be protected from legal challenge. Malaysian opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said he could only offer a conditional welcome for the news, because he feared the terms of the inquiry would be too limited to resolve the crisis of confidence in the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
"There is a disturbing indication that it will be a very restricted and circumscribed inquiry," Lim, who heads the mainly ethnic Chinese Democratic Action Party, said in a statement.
Malaysia's Bar Council, which says it represents all of the country's roughly 12,000 lawyers, staged a rare march in September to press for a royal commission to investigate the charges aired in the videotape, said to have been made in 2002.
A royal commission of inquiry has wider powers to call witnesses and compel them to give evidence than the inquiry panel the government first set up.
Abdullah said three ministers asked to provide legal input on the panel's report would do so at a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, and the commission's members would be picked after the scope of its inquiry had been set, Bernama added.
What Witness Protection Act?
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Tuesday, October 09, 2007 at 12:34 AM.
Nazri had mentioned the "Act" yesterday when he said the person who took the controversial video clip of a lawyer’s phone conversation with a "Datuk" would be given full protection, including, possibly, a new identity.
The Bar Council said there is no such legislation. Its president, Ambiga Sreenevasan, said the council had never heard of such an Act on witness protection and even if there is one, it did not know its scope.
"Although Section 53 of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 provides some form of protection, it is not to the extent mentioned by the minister," she told theSun.
According to the Anti-Corruption Act, the identity of the person who provided information to the Anti-Corruption Agency shall be a secret between the officer who made the complaint and the person who gave the information, and everything contained in such information, the identity of the person who gave the information and all other circumstances relating to the information, including the place where it was given, shall not be disclosed or be ordered or required to be disclosed in any civil, criminal or other proceedings in any court, tribunal or other authority.
Asked whether there is a witness protection programme in the country, Ambiga said there is none. However, she said it was within the jurisdiction of the police to protect a witness like what was done in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.
She said the council welcomed the enactment of such a law so that it will encourage honest people to come forward with information on a wrongdoing.
Nazri had said yesterday the source of the video clip could be given a new identity or undergo surgery to be given a new face under the Witness Protection Act.
Former United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Datuk Param Cumaraswamy said in a statement Parliament had only passed the Evidence of Child Witness Act, making provisions relating to the giving of evidence by child witnesses this year.
"I hope Nazri is not confused with the Act. As a de facto minister for law, he should exercise caution and check his facts before making public statements. Incorrect statements such as this could embarass the government," he said.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail also said she was mystified when Nazri made the statement as the legal division in parliament has confirmed that no such Bill had been tabled for a first reading in the lower house.
Video Lingam - Anwar pertahankan identiti pemberi maklumat
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Saturday, October 06, 2007 at 10:38 AM.
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Former Malaysian deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim on Friday continued to protect the sources of a video recording purportedly showing a lawyer fixing judicial appointments.
He said the whistleblowers, who witnessed the conversation taking place, will only come forward if the government can guarantee their safety.
"At the right time, these people will come out. Give them an undertaking today, and in a few days they will come out and Malaysians will know the truth. Their issue is personal safety," Anwar said.
"Attempts to incarcerate the whistleblowers will serve to further exacerbate the public's outrage and will certainly draw the condemnation of the international community that is monitoring developments in this case," he said.
Anwar was speaking to reporters after a two-hour meeting with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) who quizzed him on the video recording.
The government has set up an independent three-man panel to investigate the authenticity of the recording amid calls by opposition, lawyers and rights groups for a royal commission of inquiry.
Anwar said the whistleblowers will reveal all the details if a royal commission were to be held.
He said the independent panel's probe would be a futile exercise as it does not have the power to compel witnesses to come forward.
The ex-deputy was heir apparent to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad until his sacking in 1998, when he was hit with sodomy and corruption charges that landed him in jail for six years.
The sodomy conviction was later overturned but the corruption verdict stands, barring Anwar from standing for public office until April 2008.
He is adviser to Keadilan or People's Justice Party, which is formally led by his wife.
Video VK Lingam - BPR serang wakil PKR
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Thursday, October 04, 2007 at 10:35 PM.
ACA goes after PKR whistleblowers
Sivarasa and Sim were served with a notice to provide information under Section 22(1)(c) of the Act in the ACA office, here today. It was signed by ACA headquarters Special Action Branch enforcer Chua Lay Choo.
"We understand from the attachment to the notice that they want to know the identity and full details of the source," Sivarasa said.
Both Sim and Sivarasa have one week to comply or face two years jail, a fine of RM10,000 or both.
He said they had not responded yet but will discuss with their lawyers and the party leadership before deciding on their next move.
"They are using the law to reveal the source and ACA justifies it to their need to compile evidence to determine the authenticity of the clip," he said, adding that this will further reduce the public’s confidence in the government agency.
The recording was of a telephone conversation purportedly between a senior lawyer and a "Datuk" believed to be a senior judge.
PKR released the clip – originally 14 minutes long – in a Sept 19 press conference and Sivarasa lodged a report with the ACA the next day.
He said PKR gave the source a guarantee of protection from the start and added that he (Sivarasa) and Sim were willing to take the penalties in efforts to protect the source.
PKR, he said, was disappointed over the directions of the investigations and questioned ACA’s technical investigations to determine the authenticity of the clip.
Investigations in the technical sense can be done if the tape is handed over to its video experts or they could even call the people in the video but they are asking for the details of the source, he said.
Sivarasa said investigations had taken a wrong direction - similar to the nude ear-squat recording in 2005.
Investigations in that incident, he said, were centred on the person who captured the video and not the offence of misconduct where the woman was made to strip and carry out the act.
"I told Chua it is the same here. Instead of investigating the root of the problem – corruption (within the judiciary) – they are going after the source of the video," he said.
Sivarasa and Sim both said that without the formation of a Royal Commission, the source would not be revealed because of a lack of immunity.
Sivarasa and Sim were accompanied by lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad. sun2surf
Video VK Lingam - Reaksi pertama Pak Lah pula
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Saturday, September 22, 2007 at 12:00 AM.
PM: I'm disappointed
PUTRAJAYA, Sept 21, 2007 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi says he is disappointed by the release of a video clip depicting a conversation, allegedly between a lawyer and a judge, on the fixing of judicial appointments.
"I have received a copy of the video from the police along with the transcript of the conversation. I have also viewed the recording.
"Whether whatever transpired is true or not has yet to be confirmed. We have to verify the authenticity of the video," Abdullah told reporters after chairing a Police Commission meeting of which he is in charge of promotions, salary revisions and disciplinary matters in the Internal Security Ministry today.
"This issue is important as it has caused a lot of damage to the country's judiciary system. If the evidence show what transpired in the video was not the truth, action should be taken against those who released the video, as well as all those who lodged ACA reports.
"I am disappointed. The video was released with the aim of getting the people angry with the country's judiciary system," he told a press conference.
Asked whether a special commission would be set up to investigate the case, he said: "There is no need for one."
..more including:
DPM: Authenticity of of video recording needs to be established first
Tunku Aziz, Param urge PM to stop the judiciary rot
Reaksi BN terhadap video VK Lingam
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on Friday, September 21, 2007 at 6:03 PM.
Establish if lawyer brokering video is authentic first: Najib
SUBANG, Sep 21 - The Government will have to first establish the authenticity of the video footage of a senior lawyer brokering the appointment of judges, before deciding on any action, said the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Najib said he personally had not seen the footage.
However, he stressed that it was important to establish the veracity of the footage "before jumping to any conclusion."
"Modern day technology can also be abused and fabricated. So before we conclude anything let us establish whether there is basis or not," Najib told reporters after launching the Malaysia Airlines Engineering Training Center here on Friday.
Asked if an investigation on the matter would be carried out, he said: "We have to establish it first. Then whatever it is, we will decide at the next stage."
To a question, Najib said he had "not formally" spoken to Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim about the matter.
Probed further on whether he had engaged in communication with the Chief Justice, Najib said: "I think you better ask the Chief Justice, in this regard."
On Wednesday, Parti Keadilan Rakyat released a videoclip, purportedly shot in 2002, which it obtained recently of the lawyer talking on the telephone to someone who seemed to be a senior judge about how he (the lawyer) had helped get this judge appointed to one of the top judiciary posts.
According to the telephone conversation, the appointment was done through a prominent businessman and a politician.
The lawyer was heard saying that he was working through the two persons to get the judge elevated even further and get him a “Tan Sri” title. The names of a number of prominent judges were also mentioned in the video.
Lihat juga: Nazri says he's unaware of judge fixing video
Pendedahan video klip VK Lingam oleh Anwar
0 Comments Published by TasekPauh Blogspot on at 12:09 AM.
Lagi dari blog Jeff Ooi:
Growing calls for CJ to step down
Lame-ass Press
PKR lodges ACA report over video clip on judiciary appointments
Llew-Ann Phang and Suresh Ram - Sun2Surf
Sivarasa told reporters the party had arranged for an appointment with FT ACA director Acting Senior Commissioner I Abu Zubir Mahfodz @ Hatmon to submit a written report on the eight-minute video recording which showed a prominent lawyer discussing judicial appointments over the telephone with a senior judge, an audio recording lasting less than a minute and a copy of the press release PKR issued at its press conference chaired by party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday.
Anwar did not reveal the source of the video but said it was recorded in 2002 and showed that judicial appointments could be fixed.
"This is a follow-up action by the PKR after the expose yesterday of the video which was recorded in the lawyer’s home in Kelana Jaya," Sivarasa said.
The content of the video, he said, was a telephone conversation between the lawyer and the then Chief Judge of Malaya – the number three position in the judiciary – who was also the acting Court of Appeal president.
"We believe that the content of the conversation involves corruption among senior judges.
"The audio recording exposes the political conspiracy between the lawyer and a top level Umno official to sack Anwar from his position," he said.
Sivarasa added that PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had announced in an earlier press conference that the party would seek an audience with the Conference of Rulers to present them with the material and with Perak’s Sultan Azlan Shah, who was once head of the judiciary.
When contacted later, an ACA spokesman confirmed receiving the report from PKR and said the agency will be investigating the case.
Meanwhile, the senior lawyer could not be reached for comment. A staff in his legal firm said he was abroad and would continue to be away at least until the end of the month.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, who handles the law portfolio, said the case of various parties featured in the video clip and alleged conspiracy in judiciary appointments should go through the proper channel and the relevant authorities such as the police or the ACA.
He said if this was not done, the authorities would only treat the issue as nothing more than a media report.
"There needs to be a proper channel (for the video to be investigated and) for me to call for an explanation," he said, when contacted.
Nazri said he would wait for the ACA to complete its investigations before taking any further action on the matter.
"I would be able to say more … once the investigations are completed," he said.
Meanwhile, the Bar Council has postponed its meeting on the controversial video from today [Friday] to tomorrow [Saturday]. Its vice-president, Ragunath Kesavan, said the meeting would involve all the members of the Bar Council.
"We would be discussing the video in general," he said, when contacted.
Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said in a statement he has written to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, calling on him to invoke Article 125 of the Federal Constitution to suspend the judge in question, as well as establish a judicial tribunal to investigate the matter.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia said the revelation would have serious consequences and affect public and international confidence in the judicial system in Malaysia.
