Friday October 19, 2007
Nazri: We must verify video clip
By SHAHANAAZ HABIB
KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need to first verify the authenticity of the video clip featuring a prominent lawyer purportedly brokering the appointment of judges before there can be any investigation into the judiciary or formation of a royal commission of inquiry, said Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said it was therefore important for those with information on the video to come forward and assist the independent panel set up by the Government to investigate if the video was genuine.
“It’s one step at a time,” he said when contacted yesterday.
“That is the process.”
“It’d be unfortunate if the mechanism (panel) set up is not used by the people.
“I really hope people will come forward. Then we can have a look at the judiciary. Otherwise, we may conclude there is no case,” he added.
The three-man panel was set up by the Government three weeks ago, but up till Wednesday no one has come forward to give information to the panel headed by former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor.
Because of the absence of testimony, the panel – which also includes former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shanker and National Service Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye – could only hear the findings of the Anti-Corruption Agency, which was investigating the case.
Nazri said there was nothing more the panel could do other than wait for people to come forward because it has neither the powers to compel people to appear before it nor the powers to carry out legal investigations.
He said those who had already given their statements to the ACA need not come to the panel as the ACA would already be reporting its findings to the panel.
“What we want are other witnesses. I do hope that whoever has information will come forward voluntarily. Without it, the panel would then have to depend on the ACA as the only source.
“If possible, we do not want to rely solely on the ACA,” he added.
The video clip came from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), which edited it to eight minutes 26 seconds from the original 14 minutes and 16 seconds to protect the identity of the source.
ACA has since recorded statements from several people, including PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, party vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah, Anwar’s personal assistant Sim Tze Tzin, as well as a senior lawyer and a business tycoon implicated in the video.
Nazri said that after the panel received the report from the ACA, it could then also call up these witnesses voluntarily if there was a need.
Meanwhile, Sivarasa and Sim reiterated yesterday that they would only reveal the source of the video clip to a Royal Commission of Inquiry.
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