Third Party Denial

I’m not the one, says judge – Senior judge denies being on other end of phone

KUALA LUMPUR: A senior judge has denied he was the one a lawyer was talking to in a video recording of an alleged phone conversation between the two to discuss judicial appointments.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said yesterday the judge in question had contacted him to make the denial.

“I have been told that the person on the other end (in the video-recorded conversation) was not the alleged judge,” he said.

“The judge called me to deny that he was the one talking to the lawyer.”

….Nazri also questioned the motive behind the release of the video clip, which was given to the media before it was handed to the police and the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA).

“I don’t think the person who released the video clip to the media was interested in solving a problem.

“If they want to uphold justice or want to clean up the judiciary, the police and the ACA can investigate.

“Why go to the media? The intention is questionable, was it for political mileage or for a clean judiciary?” he asked. ……

– quoted from an article published in NST on 24th September 2007 (link)

It is a bit odd for someone in the Chief Justice’s position to speak thru Nazri. I doubt it is due to fear of perjury because there is no evidence that he is the one speaking to VK Lingam. Maybe Nazri likes being in the spotlight? In any case the judge has nothing to lose by denying that he was on the phone in the conversation.

As usual Nazri tries to distract the media and readers by questioning the intent of PKR. Questioning the intent of your enemies’ apparent moral actions is a common political tactic, but in this case who do you expect will listen to you? It is widely known that the police is corrupt and if the video was not released to the media first then the whole matter would be swept under the carpet, especially with all the VIPs mentioned in it.