By MANJIT KAUR
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called on the Government to set up a tribunal to investigate High Court Judge Datuk Ian Chin for alleged misconduct.
He said the allegation should be taken seriously, claiming he had received documents, including a police report lodged against Justice Chin breaching the Judge’s Code of Ethics, that have also been sent out to several judges, the Chief Justice and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“So why are they ignoring the fact? When PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim brought up the case against lawyer V.K. Lingam, a royal commission was set up immediately.
“It's up to the tribunal to decide whether the complaint against Justice Chin is true or otherwise, but what's important now is to set up the tribunal,” he said told reporters at his office at the Petronas Twin Towers here Thursday.
He said that on June 10, The Borneo Post had reported Justice Chin’s judicial disclosure about how Dr Mahathir had allegedly threatened judges and sent them to boot camps.
“What he did not reveal was that there a police report against him for breaching the code of ethics when hearing a case in which he had a personal interest.
“Justice Chin presided on a case involving businessman Datuk Syed Kechik Syed Mohamad without revealing that he believed Syed Kechik was responsible for getting his father and brother arrested 20 years ago.
“With Justice Chin joining Parti Berjaya where one of its objectives was to expel Syed Kechik, this should have resulted in him excusing himself from hearing the case,” he said.
Dr Mahathir touched on Justice Chin changing his initial accusation of “veiled threat” and claiming that, “I (Dr Mahathir) did not speak about removing judges through a tribunal but conveyed the threat by dropping words to that effect here and there.”
“I am wondering what the words were," he added. ... the star online
