The government-ordered inquiry is investigating whether V. K. Lingam, a well known lawyer, used his influence with politicians to rig the appointment of senior judges - a claim that has severely embarrassed the judiciary.

The other key figure in the investigation is Eusoff Chin, Malaysia's chief justice between 1994 and 2000, who is said to have been close to Lingam.

The scandal surfaced when opposition politicians leaked a video in September that showed Lingam allegedly speaking on the phone in 2001 with another former top judge, Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim, about the promotion of judges.

Lingam's brother, Thirunama Karasu, testified that he drove Lingam to Eusoff's home seven or eight times in 1995, possibly to discuss cases, and that he once personally delivered to Eusoff a handbag and wallet that Lingam bought from Italy.

Thirunama also claimed he was with Lingam and Eusoff when they surveyed a house in a Kuala Lumpur suburb that Lingam planned to purchase for Eusoff in 1995. Eusoff declined the place because he wanted a bigger one, Thirunama said.

Thirunama's allegations were first made available to the inquiry in a written statement last week. Both Lingam and Eusoff have denied the accusations, with Lingam claiming his brother was mentally unstable and that their relationship broke down years ago.

Thirunama said on Monday he 'wasn't delusional' and that he was '110 per cent sure I'm not mad'.

Lingam and Eusoff have denied having an improper relationship, despite acknowledging they spent time together on a family vacation in New Zealand in 1994 after Eusoff became chief justice.

Lingam has also refused to confirm or deny whether he is the man in the leaked video, claiming he cannot recall having such a telephone conversation because he might have been drunk. He has denied brokering the appointment of judges.

In the video, filmed by a visitor to Lingam's home, a man who almost certainly is Lingam can be heard talking on his phone about his close ties with Eusoff and his plans to elevate Ahmad Fairuz to the chief's justice post with the help of a tycoon and a politician.

Ahmad Fairuz, who has denied speaking to Lingam, was Malaysia's No. 3 judge in 2001. He became chief justice in 2003 and retired last year.

Thirunama insisted it was Lingam in the video.

'I can be 100 per cent sure it is my own brother,' Thirunama said. 'I can recognize him from his body language. He talks very loudly.'-- AP