Malaysia tycoon, others tried to sway judges - inquiry

By Soo Ai Peng

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) - A Malaysian tycoon and a former government minister were involved in a covert campaign to influence judicial appointments seven years ago, an official inquiry said on Friday, urging for criminal probes.

The inquiry's 186-page report named tycoon Vincent Tan, who controls property-to-gaming conglomerate Berjaya Group and the then de facto law minister, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, as well as a lawyer known as V.K. Lingam.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government on Friday ordered its chief prosecutor to investigate the three, as well as a retired chief judge and former premier Mahathir Mohamad, whom the inquiry said was also "entangled" in the process.

The inquiry is seen as the boldest move yet by the government to clean up the judiciary, which has been under a cloud since 1988 over its independence and integrity. The report comes just two months after the ruling party suffered a blow at the general elections.

Once regarded as one of the more independent institutions in Malaysia, it has lost credibility since Mahathir clashed with top judges, three of whom were removed in 1988.

The Bar Council, which represents more than 12,000 lawyers in the country, called for thorough, fair and speedy investigations.

"This is crucial particularly in light of the evidence at the inquiry, which showed that similar investigations had been previously closed by the authorities without further action," it said in a statement.

The inquiry, sparked by evidence of a 2001 judicial scandal that only emerged last year, did not speculate on the reason for the attempt to hold sway over judicial appointments. But it said some of the country's most serious criminal laws, including the Sedition Act and the Penal Code, could have been breached.