The infamous Lingam videotape affair held the nation in fascination with its peep into the hi-jinks of high society in 2007. Now two years on, prominent lawyer VK Lingam ( below ) is to be hauled up his peers on disciplinary charges.

vk lingam Confirming this today, Bar Council secretary George Varughese told Malaysiakini that the hearing will be before the Advocates & Solicitors Disciplinary Board.

"The hearing is still at the planning stages and will be convened soon," he said.

The Advocates & Solicitors Disciplinary Board is a body constituted under section 93 of the Legal Profession Act , 1976, comprising 17 members drawn from the legal profession.

The board was formed with binding powers to regulate the conduct of legal professionals. According to section 93 of the Act, it can "strike off the roll and suspend" those found guilty of misconduct .

The closed door disciplinary hearing shall be the first action to be taken against the prominent lawyer when he was caught in a video recording discussing the appointment of judges over the phone.

Witnesses ‘threatened'

Meanwhile, Varughese said he had only become aware of witnesses allegedly being threatened when he read about it in the newspapers today.

Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne (who had recorded the video) and Lingam's sister Jayanti Govindarajulu Naidu had allegedly received threats via SMS warning them not to testify in the upcoming disciplinary hearing.

Lingam's brother Thirunama Karasu, who was also mentioned in the SMS, filed a police report together with the other two yesterday.

Varughese said the trio made the right move in turning to the police.

"The Bar Council is in no position to ensure the safety of the witnesses, that is in the hands of the police," he added.

The Bar Council secretary also confirmed that some of the witnesses who testified during last year's royal commission inquiry have been contacted to testify in the disciplinary hearing, including the three who received the SMS.

However, Varughese said the disciplinary board can only issue letters to witnesses requesting their attendance at the hearing but does not have the powers of a court nor issue subpoenas. Witnesses can refuse to attend.