Karpal files suit against Zaki
(Free Malaysia Today) – Senior lawyer Karpal Singh has filed a suit against the Chief Justice Zaki Tun Azmi asking an order of mandamus to direct the chief justice to respond to a complaint letter by Karpal against the number one judge in the country.
The letter was in regard to an admission by Zaki of bribing court officials during his days as a lawyer.
Karpal, the DAP chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP, is seeking the court order to force Zaki to explain his “misconduct” while the latter was a practising lawyer in 1987. He is also seeking to have him brought to the Judges Code of Ethics Tribunal.
He is also seeking a court order to prevent Zaki himself from determining the merits of the complaints lodged against him under Section 13 of the Judges’ Code of Ethics, 2009.
In his application, Karpal said that the proper authority to hear complaints against Zaki would be a retired chief justice or retired federal court judge.
He stated that Zaki is the public authority under section 13(1) of the code to determine whether there is merit in any complaint lodged against the High Court, Appeal Court or Federal Court.
Karpal said that under the present circumtances, Zaki himself cannot legally determine whether there are merits in the complaint he (Karpal) lodged against him on Aug 20 last year.
He cited Section 5 of the Judges’ Ethic Committee Act, 2009, which stated that a retired chief justice or any retired Federal Court judge should determine his complaint.
“No one should be a judge in his own cause,” Karpal stated in his affidavit.
