Lawyers will consider a resolution calling on the government to set up either a tribunal or a royal commission to investigate the allegations raised against Chief Justice Eusoff Chin at its emergency general meeting on June 23.

The resolution, to be proposed by the Bar Council, also seeks the suspension of Eusoff pending the results of the investigations.

"This will give the Chief Justice the best possible opportunity to refute the serious allegations made against him and for such tribunal or royal commission of inquiry to make such recommendations as may be appropriate to restore full public confidence in the judiciary," say Bar Council president Sulaiman Abdullah in a faxed statement to malaysiakini today.

Among others, the Bar's proposed resolution "calls upon the prime minister to make written representations to the Agong pursuant to Article 125 (3) of the Federal Constitution for the appointment of a tribunal to investigate into the conduct of Eusoff".

As an alternative, it wants the government to appoint a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the matter.

Eusoff admitted this week that he had been investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency over a Christmas holiday in New Zealand in 1994 where he said he "bumped" into prominent lawyer V.K Lingam, but that he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The Chief Justice was responding to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Rais Yatim, who stated in a radio interview in Australia that the government had intimated to Eusoff that socialising with a lawyer was "improper behaviour" ("[#1] Improper to holiday with lawyer[/#] ", May 30).

The resolution, if adopted, will be the Bar's strongest stance on the judiciary since the sacking of then Lord President Salleh Abas in 1988.

Then the Malaysian Bar passed a resolution calling for the resignation of acting Lord President Hamid Omar who chaired a tribunal which heard allegations of misconduct by Salleh Abas.

The lawyers considered Hamid's action a conflict of interests and against one of the principles of natural justice.