HE was photographed holidaying with a former chief justice and was video-taped allegedly talking to another chief judge about judicial appointments.

He had also claimed he had direct access to the powers-that-be in Putrajaya.

All that came spectacularly crashing down around lawyer V.K. Lingam today when the Federal Court sentenced him to six months jail for contempt of court.

The charge against Lingam dates back to 2012 and has been long-drawn due to his repeated absence from proceedings. The charge stemmed from a case where Lingam represented a family in a civil suit in 2009.

Following a Federal Court decision in 2012 that went against his clients, Lingam filed a review on the grounds that the judgement was plagiarised.

Lingam, the 24 family members he represented and another lawyer TC Nayagam were charged with contempt.

The lawyer gained notoriety for uttering the infamous line “correct, correct, correct” in a 2007 video of him on the phone, allegedly intervening illegally into the appointment process of top judges.

The video showed a 2002 phone conversation between Lingam and allegedly former Chief Judge of Malaya Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim regarding the latter’s appointment as Chief Justice. Only Lingam was shown in the video.

Fairuz retired as the chief justice in late 2007 after his tenure was not renewed due to objection by the Conference of Rulers.

A protest by thousands of lawyers from the Malaysian Bar was followed by a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) the following year, where even former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was called in as a witness.  

During the inquiry, former Chief Justice of Malaysia Mohamed Eusoff Chin denied he was a close acquaintance of Lingam despite widely circulated photos of him allegedly taking a vacation with Lingam in New Zealand.

The RCI, chaired by Chief Judge of Malaya Haidar Mohamed Noor, had recommended that action be taken against six individuals – Lingam, Eusoff, Fairuz, businessman Vincent Tan, then former minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Dr Mahathir for misconduct.

The RCI also found prima facie evidence to investigate the six men for offences under the Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, Penal Code and the Legal Profession Act.

However, The Federal Court ruled in 2011 that the findings of the RCI cannot be reviewed, saying the commissioners had merely made findings and not a decision.

The ruling was made unanimously by a three-man panel led by former Chief Judge of Malaya Justice Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, former Federal Court judge Justice Abdull Hamid Embong and former Court of Appeal President Raus Sharif.

Raus is currently the Chief Justice and Zukefli, the Court of Appeal President. – November 14, 2017.