|
KUALA LUMPUR: A royal commission into alleged
judicial corruption in Malaysia began
Monday with panel members rejecting calls to stand down because of
alleged
conflicts of interest.
The inquiry is probing a video
released by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim last
September which purportedly showed a well-connected lawyer telling a
top judge that he would put him forward for a senior appointment.
Lawyers acting for Anwar as well
as civil society groups said that three of the five panel members
should step aside because of their links with some of the 17
witnesses due to appear in front of the two-week commission.
M. Puravalen, who is representing
Anwar, noted that panel chairman Haidar Mohamad Noor was a trustee
of the Perdana Foundation, a body set up to preserve and honor
contributions by Malaysia’s past prime ministers.
Former premier Mahathir Mohamad,
a witness at the hearing, is honorary president of the foundation
while businessman Vincent Tan, another witness, is also a trustee.
Lawyer Azhar Azizan Arun,
representing rights groups, told the commission that the link with
Haider, a former chief judge, was “unfortunate.”
“There might be a likelihood of
apprehension or bias,” he said.
But Haidar rejected the call
saying: “I don’t see any grounds to recluse myself.”
Puravalen also called on former
chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia’s eastern states on
Borneo Island, Steve Shim to step down as his name was mentioned in
the tape and he could be called as a witness.
The lawyers also said former
solicitor general Zaitun Zawiyah Puteh should not sit on the panel
because of her role in an earlier case involving Anwar.
Both Shim and Zaitun refused to
stand aside but said they would do so if they found themselves
unable to carry out their work.
Anwar 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.
Anwar is expected to appear
before the hearing next Tuesday, according to an aide.
The name of the person who had
filmed the clip has been kept secret, but businessman Loh Mui Foh,
57, has admitted being present when it was filmed and agreed to be a
witness at the hearing, his lawyer said.
--AFP
|
