Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo will write a letter to Attorney-General Tommy Thomas to find out the status of the proposed royal commission of inquiry (RCI) triggered by Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer’s affidavit which claimed there was corruption within the judiciary.
Sangeet, who is relying on the explosive affidavit to support her lawsuit against the chief justice, said the RCI is important to help her determine how to proceed with her suit.
“In regard to the (proposed) RCI, I have not heard any development from the PM (prime minister), especially over its terms of reference.
“I hope to write to the AG and find out the status of the RCI and when it would be convened, before I decide on the direction (of the lawsuit),” she said.
She was speaking to reporters after the case management of her lawsuit before High Court judge Mohd Firuz Jaffril at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex today.
Meanwhile, when met after the same in-chambers proceedings, lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla concurred with Sangeet and urged the AG to let the public know, right away, what the proposed RCI’s terms of reference are.
Haniff (photo), who is holding a watching brief for Hamid in the lawsuit, said the uncertainty raised questions on what would happen to the lawsuit if the RCI is established.
“We would like the AG to inform the public immediately to finalise the terms of reference.
“It has been a month since the government announced the RCI, but the AG has not yet finalised (the terms of reference).
“We urge that it be sorted out as it could resolve issues (related to the lawsuit and the allegation contained in Hamid’s affidavit),” Haniff said.
In her lawsuit, Sangeet is seeking a declaration that the chief justice - not named in her originating summons - had failed to defend the integrity and credibility of the judiciary as he did not complete investigations relating to two allegations of judicial interference.
Hamid's affidavit, filed on Feb 14, alleged that certain members of the judiciary have been aiding private parties to defraud the government.
It claimed the act was done through nominees of politicians creating contracts with the government.
Once the government reneged on the contract, it was alleged, the private parties would take the government to court in order to claim compensation.
On Feb 21, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that the cabinet has agreed to set up the RCI to look into the allegations by Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer.
Last week, a high-level source told Malaysiakini that the AG's Chambers was still in the process of drafting the terms of reference for the RCI. - Mkini
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