Sixteen people, including several politicians, would be called up as witnesses by the royal commission of inquiry to look into the alleged judicial impropriety arising from the Lingam tape.


 Commission chairperson Haidar Mohamed Noor, however, declined to disclose the names of the witnesses.


 The commission&rsquo;s inquiry will proceed for two weeks beginning Jan 14.


 <img align="right" alt="" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/97/9d607972294c85a1f7fa776e96a35c38.gif"/>
 According to a
 
 Bernama
 
 report today, the list of 16 witnesses was drawn up by deputy heads of prosecution in the Attorney-General's Chambers Nordin Hassan and Azmi Ariffin.


 Haidar said that the witnesses&rsquo; list was discussed in the two-hour meeting held at the Jalan Duta court complex by the six-member commission today.


 The other members of the commission are former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim Lip Kiong, retired court of appeal judge Mahadev Shankar, former solicitor-general Zaitun Zawiyah Puteh and Suhakam commissioner and Professor Emeritus Dr Khoo Kay Khim.


 Also present at the press conference along with Haidar were the director-general of the Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister's Department Abdullah Sani, who is serving as secretary, as well as Nordin and Azmi.


 The commission was formed in the aftermath of a judicial controversy created by a video clip which showed senior lawyer VK Lingam in a telephone conversation with another person, discussing the appointment of &lsquo;friendly&rsquo; judges to the upper courts.


 The person at the other end of the conversation is believed to be the recently retired chief justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim. The telephone conversation was believed to have taken place in 2002.


 
 
 Warrants of arrest
 
 




 <img align="left" alt="" src="http://mk-cdn.mkini.net/105/f5cec2e769f54cd51235668869958f28.gif"/>
 The commission&rsquo;s terms of reference are to enquire and ascertain the authenticity of the video clip, the identity of the person in the video clip, to whom he was speaking and the persons mentioned in the coversation;


 The inquiry is also to ascertain the truth of the content of the conversation in the video clip, whether there is any misconduct by the person or persons identified or mentioned in the video clip and to recommend appropriate action to be taken against those responsible.


 In the press conference today, Haidar also said that not all the persons mentioned in the video clip or all the witnesses listed would be called to testify.


 Four witnesses might be called each day, depending on the length of their testimony, he said, adding that the inquiry might be completed earlier than scheduled.


 Haidar said the commission would subpoena the witnesses and had the legal power to issue warrants of arrest if they failed to turn up without valid explanation, such as medical reasons.


 On the Bar Council's request to participate in the inquiry, Haidar said the commission would allow the Bar to assist it where necessary.

The commission into the Lingam tape will subpoena the witnesses and has the legal power to issue warrants of arrest if they failed to turn up without valid explanation.

Lingam tape: Royal panel to call 16

~RM12

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