Malaysia's former top judge accused his predecessor yesterday of deceit, strengthening suspicions of long-running feuds in the judicial hierarchy.
Speculation that senior judges have secretly jostled for power became public after opposition politicians leaked a video clip in September that showed a man who appears to be prominent lawyer V.K. Lingam boasting about helping a high-ranking judge advance his career.
Dzaiddin Abdullah, Malaysia's chief justice between 2000 and 2003, testified yesterday at a public inquiry ordered by the government to investigate the clip, in which Lingam apparently claims that Dzaiddin "hates" his predecessor, Eusoff Chin.
"I don't hate him, but I dislike him," Dzaiddin said. "He keeps telling not the truth [sic]."
Dzaiddin claimed that Eusoff -- who was chief justice between 1994 and 2000 -- lied to him throughout those years about recommending him as a candidate for coveted state honors.
Eusoff's lawyers said they would seek his instructions about whether to respond to Dzaiddin's claims.
Lingam has told the inquiry that he refuses to confirm or deny whether he is the man in the video, claiming he cannot recall the incident.
Nevertheless, he has denied brokering the appointment of judges, saying he could have been drunk and falsely bragging in the video.
In the video, the man identifies the speaker on the other end of the phone as Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, Malaysia's No. 3 judge at the time.
Ahmad Fairuz became chief justice in 2003 and retired last year.
Ahmad Fairuz has denied he was the person speaking to Lingam or that he conspired with others to elevate himself.
Ahmad Fairuz testified at the inquiry yesterday that he was not aware of any factions in the judiciary, and stressed it would not be easy to manipulate judicial appointments.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS