Getting nowhere so far on his bid to hold newly-appointed Chief Justice Zaki Azmi directly to account over an ‘admission’ of corrupt practice, DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh has taken the matter to the premier.

abdullah ahmad badawi In an open letter to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (right) today, Karpal said the government must respond without more delays to “avert irreparable damage to the reputation of the judiciary”.

“I am compelled to write to you in the public interest in relation to the position of Zaki Azmi... particularly, in view of your silence over what has been consistently revealed about the conduct of Zaki in recent weeks and also in view of Zaki having taken refuge in silence over the grave and serious allegations I have made against him,” he said.

zaki azmi and malaysia palace of justice judiciary “You cannot ignore that the judiciary is the third arm of the government... neither can you ignore that it was on your recommendation that the Conference of Rulers endorsed the appointment of Zaki Azmi (left) as Chief Justice.

“Neither can you afford to ignore the severe negative impact of foreign investment in the country if the judiciary is headed by a chief justice who has publicly admitted corruption when he was a lawyer in 1987.”

dap karpal singh Karpal (right) , a senior lawyer, also pointed out that the judiciary has yet to recover from the major assault on it by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad which led to the 1988 judicial crisis, as well as subsequent scandals.

Zaki had been quoted in the New Straits Times (NST) on Nov 8 as saying: “It took me six months (as a practising lawyer) to be nice, to bribe each and every individual to get back into their good books before our files were attended to.

“That was my personal experience and I am telling this to all the clerks and all the registries to stop this nonsense.”

Although he clarified the matter, saying that the reporter had misinterpreted him, Karpal accused Zaki of lying .

No consequences yet

Karpal reiterated in the letter that all Zaki has done is to issue the clarification without pursuing a retraction or an apology from the English-language daily.

pas new straits times demo cartoon 240206 nst building “Neither has the attorney-general, who is also the public prosecutor, been requested by Zaki to have the NST charged for publishing a false report which is an offence under the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984, (nor) has the public prosecutor in any way indicated that he intends to institute proceedings for criminal defamation of Zaki by the NST under section 500 of the Penal Code,” he wrote.

“All these irresistibly, damningly and justifiably point towards Zaki having admitted to corruption publicly.”

Such public admission does not require a trial to prove it, he said, adding that the government should come forward in defence of the “incorruptibility of the judiciary”.

Karpal further said this is first case in the world where the chief justice has publicly admitted to corruption but has yet to face the consequences.

“Do you intend to defend Zaki at the expense of (sacrificing) the image of the judiciary and your government?” asked Karpal.

“You cannot afford to ignore national and international revulsion of the continued occupation of the exalted position of the chief justice.”

aca bpr anti corruption agency 271107 Karpal also said Zaki has not reported the existence of corruption to the Anti-Corruption Agency, despite his “knowledge that there was corruption in the registry when he was a practising lawyer in 1987”.

“This, clearly, shows a defect in Zaki's character which militates against his appointment... to compound the position further, Zaki was catapulted to post of judge of the Federal Court which has happened for the first time in the country in the case of a practising lawyer,” he said.

“Within months thereafter, he was elevated as president of the Court of Appeal and thereafter to the pinnacle of the judiciary, all within less than a year.

“No doubt he has created judicial history... but with that he has also brought the judiciary into disrepute of the worst kind since the British commenced their advance of colonialism into the country with the occupation of Penang way back in 1786.”

Prior to writing the letter, Karpal had given Zaki seven days to quit his post, and had also sought royal review of the appointment.