Senior lawyer VK Lingam has written to the Federal Court asking for an adjournment of his review and contempt proceeding, which was scheduled for today, citing difficulties he faced in appointing a lawyer to represent him.

“He (Lingam) wrote in a letter dated yesterday requesting for the contempt proceeding be stayed until his review application is heard.

"He has also asked for a postponement of the review proceeding to allow him to engage counsel.

“The review should be fixed by another bench,” said senior federal counsel Alice Loke, appearing for the Attorney-General's Chambers in the contempt proceeding, before a five-member bench chaired by Federal Court judge Abu Samah Nordin.

Loke applied for another date for both the review application and the contempt proceeding to be heard, which the bench fixed for Nov 14.

The bench also comprised Federal Court judges Justice Ramly Ali, Justice Azahar Mohamed, Justice Balia Yusof Wahi and Justice Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha.

It was reported last week that Lingam filed the review following the Federal Court's rejection of a medical certificate he submitted to explain his absence from the proceeding at the time.

The bench had ruled the certificate was forged.

Lingam claimed in the review that since the bench claimed the certificate was forged, there was a real danger of bias. As such, he sought an assurance that the same six judges would not hear the review.

The six were Justice Suriyadi Halim Omar, Justice Abu Samah, Justice Ramly, Justice Azahar, Justice Balia and Justice Tan. Justice Suriyadi retired yesterday.

Lingam had told Malaysiakini on Sept 26 that he was "shocked and astonished" by the court claiming that his medical certificate was forged, saying that the burden of proving that forgery occurred rested with the court.

"The offence of forgery is a criminal offence under the Malaysian Penal Code and the burden of proof is proof beyond reasonable doubt. This burden of proof was not applied nor satisfied in this case.

"This decision by the apex court was made in my absence and without according me any opportunity whatsoever to defend myself," Lingam said.

Four years ago, Lingam was one of the lawyers representing the shareholders in the Kian Joo Can Factory (KJCF) Bhd case, who claimed the Federal Court judgment in the case had been plagiarised.

Following this, another lawyer and shareholders who made the review claim of the KJCF decision were cited for contempt and fined between RM100,000 to RM150,000 each.

Lingam was also previously implicated for judicial fixing by a Royal Commission of Inquiry in 2007.