The man in video clip knew official secrets

How the man in video clip knew official secrets? The details of a letter sent by the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed to the then Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah regarding the nominations of High Court judges were official secrets that even ministers and deputy ministers had no access to.

The question remains: Is it Official Secrets Act do not apply to top gun?

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V.K. Lingam video clip was left wondering as to how the man in the clip knew “official secrets” privy only to the Prime Minister, Chief Justice and Chief Secretary to the Government.

Commissioner Datuk Mahadev Shankar pointed out during the testimony of former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman that the “man in the video” knew the details of a letter sent by the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed to the then Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah regarding the nominations of High Court judges.

Samsudin, the sixth witness in the inquiry, was testifying on the correspondence in late 2001 between himself, Dr Mahathir and Dzaiddin were on a list of proposed candidates for the appointments.

These correspondence, he said, were official secrets that even ministers and deputy ministers had no access to.

In his testimony, Samsudin said the names of two lawyers originally proposed by Dzaiddin were dropped along the way.

Mahadev, who clarified with the witness on the date of this omission, pointed out that the man having the telephone conversation in the controversial video clip already, knew about the matter 15 days later.

According to the transcript, the man in the video clip said in a telephone conversation:

“Then, there is a letter. It ... according to Tengku, I'm going to see him tomorrow, there is a letter sent to ... ah ... CJ ... ah I mean to Tan Sri Dzaiddin that Datuk Heliliah, Datuk Ali ... and Datuk Ramly Datuk Ramly and Datuk Maarop be made judges, ... and aa ... he rejected ah ... that Dr Andrew Chew and apa itu Zainudin Ismail lah because Zainudin Ismail who condemned your appointment and Tan Sri Mohtar's appointment.”