Malaysia witness offered surgery

Cabinet minister Nazri Aziz said plastic surgery was an option

Malaysia is offering cosmetic surgery and a new identity to try to persuade a potential witness to testify in an investigation into judicial corruption.

Officials want to trace the source of a video that appears to show a prominent lawyer telling a judge he will push his name forward for a senior appointment.

The clip was released by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who says the man who filmed it fears for his safety.

Officials say his testimony is crucial to checking the video's authenticity.

Independent inquiry

Cabinet minister Nazri Aziz said plastic surgery was an option under a witness protection agreement.

The government will give the witness a new identity. So what is there to be afraid of? Nazri Aziz

"They will not only be protected but can also undergo surgery to change their look," Mr Aziz told local media.

He said that if the witness failed to come forward "we can conclude that they are lying".

"The government will give the witness a new identity. So what is there to be afraid of?" he told Malaysia's official Bernama news agency.

An independent panel has been set up by the government to investigate the tape's authenticity, amid calls by the opposition, lawyers and rights groups for a royal commission inquiry.

Currently, judges are appointed by the king on the prime minister's recommendation. Lawyers are urging an impartial commission to oversee the appointments.