Commission: Act against Dr M, 5 others (Malaysiakini)

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video clip has recommended that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad be investigated under various laws for his role in the appointment of judges.

Other persons also named to face possible action are former chief justices Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Eusoff Chin, senior lawyer VK Lingam, former minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and business tycoon Vincent Tan.In its 191-page report, the commission recommended that they be investigated under a slew of laws - Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, Penal Code and obstruction of justice.

De facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim today said that the cabinet has directed the Attorney General's Chambers to institute immediate investigations against the six.Earlier, Zaid said that the government has decided to release the commission's report to the public.The four-volume report will be sold at RM542.10 and be available next week.While volume one - which is the report itself - has only 191 pages, volume two containing the notes of evidence is 1,187-page long, while volume three has all the statutory declarations submitted to the commission (513 pages) and the final volume contains the exhibits (998 pages).

Copies of the report were not distributed to the media today but a ministerial aide read out one paragraph."We are of the view that there was conceivably an insidious movement by VK Lingam with covert assistance of his close friends Vincent Tan and Tengku Adnan Mansor to involve themselves actively in the appointment of judges, in particular the appointment of Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim as President of the Court of Appeal, and subsequently as the Chief Justice."