Lingam fails to revoke decision striking him off Advocates’ Rolls

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk V.K. Lingam yesterday failed in his bid to revoke the decision of the disciplinary committee of the Malaysian Bar striking him out of the Rolls of Advocates and Solicitors.

High Court Judge Datuk Wira Kamaludin Md Said dismissed an appeal by Lingam to revoke the decision of the committee made on Nov 6, 2015, after it established that Lingam had interfered with or influenced the appointment of Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim as the Chief Judge of Malaya.

Kamaludin’s decision was read out by Deputy Registrar Norazlin Othman in chambers yesterday in the presence of counsel R. Thayalan, who represented Lingam, and counsel Fahri Azzat, who acted for the Bar Council.

Kamaludin had said that the court was satisfied that Lingam’s appeal could not be considered and that the decision of the disciplinary committee of Nov 6, 2015, still stood.

The court ordered Lingam to pay costs amounting to RM5,000.

Lingam filed the appeal through an originating summons on Dec 15, 2015, naming the bar council as respondent.

He had sought to nullify the Bar Council Disciplinary Board’s decision on Nov 6, 2015 to affirm the findings of the disciplinary committee that he had interfered or disturbed and influenced the appointment of Ahmad Fairuz.

The former lawyer had further sought a court order to dismiss the findings of the disciplinary committee in a report dated Feb 20, 2014 which decided that he was guilty of influencing the appointment of Ahmad Fairuz as Chief Judge of Malaya and confirmation as Court of Appeal president at the time.

Lingam also wanted a court order to dismiss the disciplinary committee’s findings and recommendation to suspend him from practising as a counsel and solicitor for one year and to fine him RM20,000.

On May 20, 2008, a Royal Commission of Inquiry proposed a number of recommendations in regard to a video recording linked to Lingam and former Chief Justice Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin as well as Ahmad Fairuz allegedly over the appointment of judges.

In the report, the five-man RCI panel determined the video clip as authentic and identified Lingam as the person involved in the conversation with Ahmad Fairuz. - Bernama