To many he is the senior lawyer in the videotape apparently brokering the
appointment of &#39;friendly judges&#39; into top positions in the judiciary
but to others, he is a powerful and well-connected lawyer.

Who really is VK Lingam?

<img src=
"http://i.malaysiakini.com/97/20db0e535e25ecd0c32e10bd113ad6ec.jpg" width="220"
hspace="5" height="310" align="left"> Malaysiakini reconstructed this
portfolio based on information available in a company annual report where
Lingam is a director and news reports posted on the Internet.

Kanagalingam Veluppillai, 56, began his career by serving several
multinational and local companies in various senior management positions
between 1973 and 1983.

While serving as human resources manager in UMW Holdings under the
stewardship of Eric Chia (who later headed Perwaja Steel Holdings), he left to
study law at the University of Buckingham, England, and graduated in 1985.

On his return, he re-joined UMW as its group legal advisor in 1985, but
started his own practice four years later.

<img alt="" src=
"http://i.malaysiakini.com/46/a6f4a1465b420bbc48178007fa624d4a.jpg" style=
"WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 203px" width="300" hspace="7" height="203" border="0"
align="right"> He was first caught in controversy when photographs surfaced on
the Internet of him and then Chief Justice Eusoff Chin while they were on
holiday in New Zealand in 1994 ( right ).

Eusoff denied that the holiday was paid for by Lingam - as had been alleged
- and they had merely bumped into one another. It was <a href=
"/news/2760" target="_blank">revealed later</a> that the two had been
on same flight from Singapore to Auckland.

Following the discovery of the photos, the Bar Council sought to take
disciplinary action against Lingam in 1996. He sued the Bar Council and won -
then High Court judge Azmel Maamor decided against the Bar Council for failure
to furnish names of the disciplinary board members.

<img src="http://i.malaysiakini.com/46/a7182c8a65a06bd2cb46c36966d2f8d8.jpg"
width="300" hspace="5" height="210" align="left"> There was another set of
infamous photos - this time taken in Italy where Lingam were seen with
well-connected business partner Vincent Tan and then attorney-general Mohtar
Abdullah, who was later appointed Federal Court judge, and their respective
wives( left ).

Notable court cases

1996 was to prove a busy year for Lingam, as lawyer or litigant in a number
of notable court cases.

<img alt="" src=
"http://i.malaysiakini.com/50/b5d33bd5948513dadf2293810b068358.jpg" style=
"WIDTH: 64px; HEIGHT: 64px" width="64" hspace="0" height="64" border="0" align=
"right"> <img src=
"http://i.malaysiakini.com/97/a1cf3569f5cd022666de09d596fa8136.gif" width="250"
hspace="5" height="930" align="left"> About the same time, Lingam represented
Berjaya group tycoon Tan in a defamation suit against veteran journalist MGG
Pillai which the High Court found in Tan&#39;s favour and awarded RM10 million
in damages - a record sum.

Pillai&#39;s appeal to the Federal Court was heard by a three-member panel
led by Eusoff, who upheld the finding but reduced the quantum of damages to RM2
million.

Still in 1996, Lingam filed three defamation suits for a total of RM190
million against lawyers, journalists and several others over an article in the
International Commercial Litigation (ICL) magazine.

The article &#39;Malaysian Justice on Trial&#39; published in the November
issue of the British-based magazine had suggested that Lingam and Tan had
connections with judges, namely in the controversial Ayer Molek case and
Tan&#39;s suit against Pillai.

It was only last year that High Court judge Hishamudin Yunus dismissed the
suit filed against the magazine and said it was Lingam&#39;s wrongful conduct
in the Ayer Molek case that had led to the publication of the article.

Hishamudin said Lingam was guilty of &quot;abusing and manipulating the
process of court&quot; in filing the action in the appellate and special powers
division of the High Court instead of the commercial division.

Malaysian-based Asian Wall Street Journal correspondent, Raphael
Pura - who was also sued by Lingam - had alleged that Lingam himself had penned
part of High Court judge Mokhtar Sidin&#39;s judgment on the Pillai case.

<img alt="" src=
"http://i.malaysiakini.com/47/4671fdc4fa4414b539c41e76a5ffbd1f.jpg" style=
"WIDTH: 64px; HEIGHT: 64px" width="64" hspace="0" height="64" border="0" align=
"right"> Defamation suits aside, the lawyer has provided legal services to Eric
Chia when Perwaja Steel was saddled with RM6.9 billion in debts in 1996.

An audit report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers into the ailing company&#39;s
records was ordered by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim. The report
disclosed that Lingam had been paid RM12 million for his services.

<img alt="" src=
"http://i.malaysiakini.com/70/e48c1a27d26ef58f6cf26cdee393d754.gif" style=
"WIDTH: 219px; HEIGHT: 146px" width="219" hspace="0" height="146" border="0"
align="right"> Lingam&#39;s string of high-profile clients include former
premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has been sued by Anwar for defamation. The
case has been <a href="/news/69550" target="_blank">struck
out</a> but Anwar&#39;s lawyer had expressed intentions to appeal.

The spotlight is now back on Lingam - on Sept 18, PKR de facto
leader Anwar Ibrahim released a grainy eight-minute <a href=
"/news/72772" target="_blank">video clip</a> of the lawyer on the
phone, apparently revealing his influence in brokering judicial
appointments.

By inference, the conversation appeared to involve current Chief Justice
Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim. Neither has openly denied the claims to date,
although the latter is said to have contacted de facto law minister
Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz with a denial.

Lingam is now on the board of directors in network marketing Cosway
Corporation Bhd, a subsidiary of Berjaya Group.

<a href="/news/72772" target="_blank">SPECIAL REPORT: The Lingam
tape</a>

<img src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/97/23feafe7f53d02e2e9baf7a996456c7a.gif" width="64" hspace="5" height="64" align="left">The Lingam tape
 
 

The senior lawyer in the centre of 
the scandal involving the judiciary is a mystery to some - this is a snapshot of 
his public and corporate life.

Who is VK Lingam?

~RM12

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