Controversial video shown at law meet

The Straits Times, November 2, 2007


KUALA LUMPUR - A CONTROVERSIAL video clip showing a senior lawyer allegedly brokering the appointment of judges was screened in a hall packed with several hundred lawyers during the annual Malaysian Law Conference on Wednesday.

The video clip purportedly showing lawyer Datuk V. K. Lingam on his mobile phone was played to a rapt audience at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, the New Straits Times (NST) daily reported.

The clip has ignited a firestorm of controversy as the person whom Datuk Lingam was speaking to was allegedly the former chief justice, Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.

Tun Ahmad Fairuz has denied, through the de facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz, that he was on the other end of the line, but speculation continues to rage.

Lawyer Haris Ibrahim, who spoke after the video clip was shown, said the incident was very worrying.

As for what could be done, the human rights lawyer suggested that the Bar Council, which groups 12,000 lawyers, should consider not participating in the legal system until the judiciary's image is improved, NST said.