A Royal Commission will begin an inquiry into alleged judicial corruption in Malaysia on Monday, with witnesses to include top politicians and judicial officers, reports said.
Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim unleashed a furore in September when he released a video clip in which a well-connected lawyer purportedly told a top judge that he would put the man's name forward for a senior appointment.
Among those listed as possible witnesses include former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar and the now-retired judge who was implicated in the scandal, The Sunday Star newspaper said.
The commission panel consists of retired judges and rights leaders who will decide on the clip's authenticity and if there is any evidence of wrongdoing. They will hear from a total of 16 witnesses during the two-week inquiry.
On Sunday, local businessman Loh Mui Fah said his son made the video clip in late December 2001.
"I was not aware then that my son was recording (the lawyer's) conversation," he told the New Sunday Times newspaper.
Anwar was heir apparent to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad until his sacking in 1998, when he was hit with sodomy and corruption charges that landed him in jail for six years.
The sodomy conviction was later overturned but the corruption verdict stands, barring Anwar from running for public office until April 2008.
He is adviser to Keadilan or People's Justice Party, which is formally led by his wife.
Agence France-Presse - 1/13/2008
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