KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 18, 2007): The two sources of an
eight-minute video clip showing a
senior lawyer purportedly lobbying a high-ranking judge in a phone conversation
have agreed they will openly testify about the video if a royal commission is
set up.
Sim Tze Tzin, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim’s political coordinator, said both "X and Y" agreed to cooperate only if
there was legal immunity as one of them appears in the full 14-minute version of
the video.
Speaking in a press conference today in the PKR headquarters, Sim would not say
if "X and Y" actually recorded the phone conversation or were just the persons
who passed on the recording to PKR in mid-September.
"X and Y (are) the only people that I know and if the commission is set up, we
will bring them forward to testify. They have agreed to," he said.
On Sept 20, Sim and PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah lodged a report with the
Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to investigate the contents of the video after it
was screened at a PKR press conference a day earlier.
On Oct 4, the ACA told Sim and Sivarasa they must reveal their sources or face a
jail term of two years or a fine of RM10,000 or both.
However, no action has yet to be taken against either Sim or Sivarasa for not
doing so.
Sim today questioned the investigations of the three-man panel headed by former
Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor which are reliant on the ACA and
police.
He questioned why the panel have yet to question the persons in the video or
Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor who was mentioned in the recorded
conversation.
Sim also called for Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim’s tenure,
which ends on Oct 31, not to be extended in the light of the video recording.
PKR information head Tian Chua also said the party was more than willing to
provide the additional six minutes of the recording if the royal commission was
set up.
PKR secretary-general Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and treasurer-general William
Leong, PAS central committee member Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad and DAP national
publicity secretary Teresa Kok also requested for a royal commission and for
investigations to be on corruption in the judiciary, instead of identifying the
sources of the clip.
"The formation of a commission is crucial to return the judiciary’s independence
and if this is not done, the public’s now shaky confidence in the administration
will not improve.
"The panel’s investigations should be transparent and the government should stop
hunting down the whistle blower," Syed Azman said, expressing confidence that
many would come forward to cooperate in investigations if a royal commission was
established.
Kok said she was surprised the panel was relying on the ACA’s investigations
instead of meeting with the persons implicated in the video.
"Why is the panel not calling (Datuk) V.K. (Lingam – the lawyer seen in the
video clip)," she questioned, urging for the prime minister’s intervention.
Not calling the lawyer because IRRELEVANT! written by Visvanathan Murugiah,
Friday, October 19 2007 12:22 pm
The three man panel has decided not to call the prominent lawyer because they think it is IRRELEVANT! They only want to know why the video clip is so grainy and not clear. More importantly they want to know what equipment was used. That is all. All quite simple actually. Maybe they will also recommend what kind of equipment to use in future upcoming episodes of " It only happens here in Bolehland".
Visvanathan Murugiah
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The three man panel has decided not to call the prominent lawyer because they think it is IRRELEVANT! They only want to know why the video clip is so grainy and not clear. More importantly they want to know what equipment was used. That is all. All quite simple actually. Maybe they will also recommend what kind of equipment to use in future upcoming episodes of " It only happens here in Bolehland".
Visvanathan Murugiah