The Royal Commission of Inquiry on Batu Puteh, Batuan Tengah, and Tubir Selatan are empowered to issue warrants of arrest against those who refuse to testify before it.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Azalina Othman Said said this was one of the several important powers granted to the RCI for the sake of truth and justice.
“Among these powers are summoning people to testify, to issue warrants of arrest against those refusing to do so, and issuing fines,” she was quoted as saying by The Star.
Azalina (above) said this while addressing the Dewan Rakyat Special Chambers today.
The RCI is meant to review issues regarding the sovereignty of the three small outcrops that lie between Johor and Singapore.
The inquiry is expected to review a decision by the Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led Pakatan Harapan government to drop a review of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision to award Batu Puteh to Singapore.
Mahathir’s lawyers said they may advise him against testifying before the RCI.
This was due to an alleged conflict of interest between the former prime minister and the commission’s chairperson - former chief justice Md Raus Sharif.
Mahathir previously challenged an extension of Md Raus’ tenure as a judge past mandatory retirement, with the latter resigning after the nonagenarian took office in 2018.
Separately, the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, previously made pointed remarks aimed at Mahathir over the dropped review of the ICJ decision.
Azalina said today that the Batu Puteh RCI would be given up to six months to complete its probe, with the final report to be tabled in Parliament. - Mkini
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