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©The Sun (Used by permission)
by R. Manirajan

PUTRAJAYA (Sept 27, 2007): Members of the Special Independent Investigation Panel appointed by the government to determine the authenticity of a video recording pertaining to appointment of judges today received their call-up letters, and refused to publicly engage their detractors.

Facing a battery of press reporters after an hour-long meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan in the Prime Minister's Office here, the three panel members appealed for time for them to settle down before answering more questions.

Its chairman Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor, a former Chief Judge of Malaya, said the panel will be using the Prime Minister's Department's legal department as its secretariat office and all logistic and administrative matters will be decided when they meet next.

"Let us settle down. We just got our appointment letters and when everything is finalised ... we will call for another press conference to let you know on how we are going to move, including our terms of reference," said Haidar.

He did not say when they will start and finish their investigation.

Said another member Datuk Mahadev Shankar, a former court of appeal judge: "I can make a solemn promise, that the sun will rise tomorrow. The rest I don't know."

The other panel member, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, looked on without commenting.

On concerns over the panel's legal power to summon witnesses, Haidar said his team will be finalising that when they meet. He hinted where they will derive their powers when he said they will be seeking the cooperation of government agencies like the police and Anti-Corruption Agency for this process.

Asked for his comments on opposition parties and others questioning his credibility, especially in relation to his role in the 1988 judicial crisis, Haidar said: "We can't stop people from questioning our credibility. I have a job to do and I will do it."

On Najib's advice to them during the meeting, he said he wished them luck and told them he would respect their findings.

Adding to Haidar's statement, Mahadev said the panel has taken note of everything raised by the people, including the panel's ambit of power.

"It is too early to say anything. We just got our letters and we are not going to listen to rumours," he added.

At an earlier function in Kuala Lumpur, Najib was quoted by Bernama as saying that no one should dispute the integrity of the three panel members.

"They are of the highest integrity. Do not question their integrity. There is no question of the other' camp (appointment from among the opposition). Do not politicise their appointment," he told reporters after presenting Aidilfitri goodies for Armed Forces personnel, at the Defence Ministry here.

On the Bar Council's call for the setting up of a judicial commission on the appointment of judges, Najib said the government had no plan to do so.

An edited version of a video clip of a telephone conversation between a lawyer and a "Datuk" believed to be a senior judge was yesterday handed over to the Anti-Corruption Agency, but the name of the source was kept secret.

The handover took place at the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya, four hours before Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak issued appointment letters to the three men who will man the Special Independent Investigation Panel to determine the recording is authentic, or a clever fake.

These are the highlights of what happened yesterday:

At the ACA headquarters:

* Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah hands over the video clip to the ACA, but refuses to reveal the identity of the person who recorded it, in keeping with the person's request. This is the edited version that runs for about 8 minutes. The full version is about 14 minutes long.

* Sivarasa says: "The other part of the clip clearly shows Datuk V.K. Lingam and his telling the people in the room after the telephone conversation, that he was speaking to Tun Ahmad Fairuz."

* He says they will cooperate with the Investigation Panel but will have to get permission from the source before screening the 14-minute long clip, which will compromise his identity.

At the Prime Minister's Office:

* Panel members met Najib and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan for an hour.

* Its chairman Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor says they use the Prime Minister's Department's legal department as its secretariat office and all logistic and administrative matters will be decided when they meet next.

* Refuses to say when they will start and finish their investigation.

* On opposition parties and others questioning his credibility, especially in relation to his role in the 1988 judicial crisis, Haidar said: "We can't stop people from questioning our credibility. I have a job to do and I will do it."

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