4 files opened in Lingam Tape investigation, 3 marked ‘no further action’
(Suara keADILan) – Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Parliament that the now-defunct Anti-Corruption Agency had initiated investigations against four men involved in the Lingam Tape incident, where a Royal Commission of Inquiry had found sufficient evidence of judge-fixing to warrant a case.
However, Malaysia’s anti-graft buster and the Attorney-General did not share this opinion despite taking their time to check out the matter.
According to Abdullah, only one of the four files is still open. The other three have been closed and marked as ‘no further action’ to be taken because there was insufficient evidence to prosecute under the Anti-Corruption Act 1997.
Abdullah, who did not name any of the men involved, was responding in a written reply to a question from KeADILan MP for Wangsa Maju, Wee Choo Keong.
The Lingam Tape incident refers to a video clip exposing alleged tampering in the appointment of judges for key cases.
It sparked a huge wave of public anger, forcing Abdullah to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the case that has implicated former premier Mahathir Mohamad and five other prominent men.
The five are senior lawyer Lingam, tycoon Vincent Tan, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor and former Chief Justices Eusoff Chin and Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim.
Royal Commission found enough evidence, but the MACC, AG don’t agree
The Royal Commission had recommended that action be taken, saying there was enough evidence to investigate all five for offences under the Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, the Penal Code and the Legal Profession Act 1976.
The ACA, which completed its investigations last year, forwarded only three files to the AG. The director of the legal and prosecution department at the ACA, now the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, had marked one of cases as ‘no further action’.
Of the three files sent to the AG, two were marked by his chambers as ‘no further action’. The remaining case is still open.
Wee later told reporters that the director of the legal and prosecution department had no powers to decide on a case but to only investigate.
“This is unheard of and first time as a lawyer. Why are they taking so long? The last time they said that the paper has already been sent but now they say it is for further investigation,” he said.
