Friday, June 13, 2008

Justice Ian Chin Should Lodge Police Report, Says Karpal Singh

DAP chairman Karpal Singh urged Sibu High Court judge Ian Chin to lodge a police report over his allegation that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had threatened to remove judges if he disagreed with their verdicts.

Karpal, who is also MP for Bukit Gelugor said Chin should not seek protection by hiding behind the immunity provided to judges under the law by just revealing it in the court.

"Even though his revelations had further weakened public confidence in the judiciary, he should give a chance to Dr Mahathir to defend himself by allowing police to probe on the matter," he told a press conference here Friday.

On Monday, Chin, while hearing a dispute over results of the March 8 general election in Sarawak, revealed that judges were sent to an indoctrination boot camp and threatened with dismissal if they did not make pro-government decisions.

Karpal also urged police to record statements from all judges who attended the judges' conference on April 24, 1997 where Dr Mahathir had allegedly issued the threat.

He also asked the police and the Attorney-General's chambers to give top priority in investigating the latest allegation.

Karpal said he would raise the matter at the parliament sitting on June 23.

Asked on the contents of Chin's allegation, Karpal said: "I don't think Chin wanted to create a story to frame up Dr Mahathir as it will affect his credibility."

Karpal urged prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to take personal interest on the latest allegation against Dr Mahathir, adding that what had happened cannot be dismissed out of hand.

In a related development, a police officer from Tun H.S. Lee police station recorded a statement from Karpal over his report on this case on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Abdullah said the government did not see it fit to set up another royal commission to investigate the alleged threats by Dr Mahathir against high court judges because it had already decided to introduce reforms in the judiciary. (Bernama)

***** The big question is whether the cops will be allowed to investigate any report that Justice Ian Chin may make. Since Pak Lah as well as the Minister in the PM's Dept, Zaid Ibrahim have said that nothing more will be revealed by a probe and therefore are not in favour of an investigation, it looks like the usual three letter word NFA (No Further Action) will be in play. Dr Mahathir can be expected to get away scot free once again.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

After all these years, Justice Chin suddenly found his testicles. Why now?
Then again let's say he did find them, so he has disclosed what TDM did. So far, he's the only one who's saying it. What about the other Judges? No on has admitted anything yet.
TDM is suddenly quiet about it! Whne has TDM ever been quiet about anything?
Sounds, smells & looks too much like another BN (Pak Lah) "sandiwara"!
When will action be taken following the RCI into the Lingam Scandal?
Nothing vhanges with the BN lah...we all know that!

7:25 AM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Justice Datuk Ian Chin is well known in legal circles in East Malaysia to be a man of integrity. It is also well known that he turned down an offer to be a Court of Appeal judge (and this was confirmed by a former Chief Registrar) as he prefer to be in Kota Kinabalu. Kota Kinabalu must be a really lovely place for the former High Court Judge Datuk Charles Ho also turned down the opportunity to be elevated to be Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak. That was more than 10 years ago.

5:04 PM GMT+8  

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