Karpal writes to A-G, seeks authority to prosecute Lingam

By G Manimaran

Karpal may only prosecute Lingam if the A-G authorises him to do so. — file pic

PETALING JAYA, Dec 23 — Veteran lawyer Karpal Singh, who had previously urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers to authorise him to prosecute Datuk VK Lingam on behalf of the government, today voiced his intentions to meet with Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to discuss the issue further, via an open letter.

Karpal also wrote that, should he be appointed to conduct the prosecution against Lingam, he would do so on a pro bono (free of charge) basis.

“I am writing to you (Gani) with the hope that you will issue the necessary authorisation letter for me to proceed.

“If necessary, I am ready to meet with you to discuss in detail why it is imperative that Lingam be prosecuted and for you to issue the requisite authorisation,” Karpal wrote in his letter to Gani.

“Please respond as soon as possible,” ended the two-page missive dated today.

Before this, Karpal had accused the government of besmirching the honour of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong through its failure to act against Lingam despite the strong recommendation to do so by the Royal Commission which had investigated the “Lingam tapes” scandal.

Karpal’s offer to run the prosecution came as a response to a challenge from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, prosecute Lingam himself since he felt so strongly on the issue. Nevertheless, the necessary authorisation from the A-G’s Chambers has not been forthcoming.

Nazri has said that he would advise the A-G to issue the said letter so that Karpal may begin with the prosecution.

Lingam had been implicated in the judge-fixing scandal after a video recording of him apparently negotiating the appointment of judges was released to the public. The video subsequently became the centre of an investigation by a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Last week, Nazri had told The Malaysian Insider that the matter had been forwarded to the A-G for further consideration.

“I have informed the A-G about this and it is up to him to make his decision,” said Nazri.

In his letter today, Karpal stated that Nazri had declared in Parliament last week that the matter of issuing the authorisation letter was in the A-G’s hand.

But he cast doubt on Nazri’s sincerity in advising Gani to issue the letter as he had claimed.

“As such, I am writing to seek the issuance to the said authorisation to me as it is a matter of public importance,” Karpal wrote, before reiterating that the Section 379 of the Criminal Procedure Code makes an allowance for the A-G to produce this authorisation.