Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim today said he will look into the complaint made by Metramac Corporation Sdn Bhd lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah against Justice Gopal Sri Ram of his alleged misconduct.

"What he (Muhammad Shafee) has written about the conduct ..I will look into the matter," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Ahmad Fairuz was commenting on the letter written by the counsel dated Jan 24, 2006 to him and to the Court of Appeal President Abdul Malek Ahmad.

Shafee ( left ) had complained about the alleged misconduct of Gopal during the hearing and in the judgment of the appeal filed by Fawziah Holdings Sdn Bhd.

In his judgment on Jan 12, Gopal made headlines when he commented that prominent businessman Halim Saad and his partner Anuar Othman siphoned off RM32.5 million from toll concessionaire Metramac and enjoyed the patronage of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.

On Thursday, the Court of Appeal panel, comprising Justices Gopal(left) , Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Hashim Yusoff unanimously agreed that the letter sent out by Muhammad Shafee was a prima facie in contempt of court .

The judge fixed Feb 23 for the preliminary inquiry to determine whether Shafee had committed contempt of court. Shafee was also advised to engage counsel to represent him.

Anybody can complain

"Anybody can make a complaint against judges or conduct of the judges but you have to remember that conduct of judges cannot be discussed in an open forum.

"It can only be discussed in Parliament if the 2/3 members agree," said Ahmad Fairuz.

Asked whether any action can be taken against the judge if the complaint is found to be true, he replied: "Well, I understand that there is a contempt hearing against Shafee, so I think I should not comment on this because it is subjudice."

In another development, the chief justice announced the establishment of the Public Complaints Unit (UPA) to enhance transparency in the administration of justice in the country.

He said the UPA will be supervised by the Federal Court Chief Registrar and will only entertain complaints made by the public on the administration of the judiciary system.

"You can complain things like your file is missing in the court, or maybe the court always has this problem of files go missing or no date is fixed for your case," he said.

Ahmad Fairuz said the UPA would respond to the complaints within two working days from the date of the complaint.

Two officers will be assigned every month on rotation to hear the grouses and they can be reached through phone, e-mail or the hotline at 03-88884388, he added.