V. K. Lingam

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Dato' Kanalingam Vellupillai better known as V. K. Lingam is a prominent and controversial Malaysian lawyer. His name was brought up in the The Royal Commission of Inquiry Into the V. K. Lingam Video Clip which was formed in late 2007 to investigate an allegation of illegal intervention into the judicial appointment process of Malaysian judges purportedly occurred in 2002. The allegation was first made public in September 2007 by former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim whom released a low quality video showing lawyer V.K. Lingam allegedly talking to former Chief Judge of Malaya Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim about the appointment of the latter into the office of Chief Justice of Malaysia. Ahmad Fairuz retired as the Chief Justice of the Federal Court in late 2007 after his tender was not renewed due to objection from the Conference of Rulers.

Lingam was called to testify in front of the Royal Commision in relation to his involvement in the activities shown on the video clip. The formation of the commission was a follow-up to a recommendation by a three-man panel which was tasked to determine the authenticity of a video clip of a telephone conversation that raised the allegation.

The Malaysian Cabinet has ordered the attorney-general to immediately direct agencies to investigate on allegations levelled against six prominent individuals identified in the Lingam video clip affair. The six are former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, retired chief justices Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin and Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan and prominent lawyer Datuk V.K. Lingam. There was sufficient cause to invoke the Sedition Act 1948, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1961, the Legal Profession Act 1976, the Official Secrets Act 1972 and the Penal Code against some of the principal individuals involved^[1]