AT a time of ineptness, one must laud Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat for the firm move to get the authorities to investigate allegations of influence peddling by a senior lawyer.

It would have been easy to look the other way.

She could have just brushed it aside as an inconvenience. No one would be the wiser.

But Malaysia’s top judge knows that this allegation is serious and goes to the core of this institution: its independence and commitment to mete out justice based on the merits of a case.

Now that the CJ has done the first important step, police must do its job without fear or favour.

Police yesterday confirmed that the CJ’s special officer had lodged a report against a senior lawyer for allegedly bringing the judiciary to disrepute. Police have received four witness statements on the matter.

News portal Free Malaysia Today quoted sources as saying the lawyer had apparently sent several text messages to a foreign client with one stating “the path is covered till the CJ”.

It is learned that the messages are linked to two civil appeals pending before the Court of Appeal.

But it does not stop there. The Malaysian Bar too must get to the bottom of the matter.

Lawyers and the Bar are always quick to apportion blame on others in the administration of justice, singling out judges, but this case is serious enough to merit the latter convening its own investigative and disciplinary body to look into this case.

The Bar owes it to the CJ.

After all, she seems to want what the Bar has always preached about – a sound judiciary. – June 16, 2021.