Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail has yet to respond to Karpal Singh's request to provide him with fiat, which will authorise him to prosecute VK Lingam on behalf of the government.

Yesterday marked the end of Karpal's seven-day deadline for the AG to provide him with the document.

NONE Contacted this afternoon, the DAP stalwart and renowned lawyer said: "I offered my services to prosecute Lingam and relayed my interest to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz."

"Nazri even told me in parliament that he will persuade Gani to issue the (fiat) order. However, till today Gani has yet to grant my request. His (AG's) silence is deafening," he added.

Karpal said the AG should publicly state his reasons for not wanting to issue him the fiat.

It has been more than a month since the Bukit Gelugor MP accepted the challenge by Nazri to prosecute Lingam, a senior lawyer accused of brokering the appointment of judges.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) set up later to probe the matter also recommended that action be taken against Lingam and the others implicated in the case.

The RCI had on May 20, 2008, recommended that action be taken against former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former chief justices Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Eusoff Chin, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and business tycoon Vincent Tan.

Making a mockery of RCI

Meanwhile, Karpal reiterated that the AG and government's decision not to prosecute the six makes a mockery of the RCI.

"It is clear from the video conversation that Lingam was trying to broker the appointment of judges. Even the RCI recommended action but no action has been taken against them.

"If action is not taken, then there was no point in having the RCI in the first place. This is a disrespect to the RCI's findings," he said.

vk lingam scandal mahathir eusoff chin adnan fairuz vincent lingam The senior lawyer pointed out that the RCI was sanctioned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the government's inaction on the findings could be seen as going against the King.

Karpal said he was perplexed with the government's announcement that it would not take any legal action against Lingam although his alleged brokering of judges might be morally wrong.

"Clearly, from the video Lingam can be charged with sedition and under the Legal Profession Act 1976 for misconduct," he said.

The opposition politician added that the case has become public knowledge and warranted action in the interest of justice.

On another matter, Karpal said he would file a leave application at the Federal Court tomorrow in the case of Kajang municipal councillor Tan Boon Wah versus the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC).

On Thursday, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling restricting MACC interrogation sessions to office hours.