The proposal to set up a royal commission of inquiry into alleged judicial misconduct is expected to see further delays after former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee (above) filed an appeal against the Kota Kinabalu High Court's decision which dismissed his challenge to stop Putrajaya from setting up the commission.
De facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong today confirmed that an appeal had been filed.
"This morning I was informed that Yong had filed the notice of appeal and it has been confirmed by the Attorney-General's Chambers.
"Yong filed it before the 30-day expiry. We leave it to the legal process for the court to decide," he said after a visit to the Petaling Jaya court complex.
Liew had previously said the government will only go ahead with the RCI after the legal challenge is resolved.
"The whole process is hanging, so it's better we let the due process of the law to complete at the Court of Appeal level.
"After this, the court will determine the hearing date," he said.
In an affidavit dated Feb 14, Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer alleged interference in a 2016 Court of Appeal majority decision to uphold the late Karpal Singh's conviction for sedition.
Despite the government announcing in February that an RCI would be established to probe Hamid's allegations of widespread corruption and abuses in the judiciary, it has yet to materialise.
In early June, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad indicated that the RCI would “start work soon”, as he shot down a former judge's proposal for the government to hold an internal inquiry instead.
Sources from Pakatan Harapan previously told Malaysiakini that there were parties within the coalition, as well as retired top judges, who opposed the RCI for fear of "unfavourable" truths being revealed.
On a separate matter, Liew, who is Warisan permanent chairperson, said his party will wait to see whether former minister Anifah Aman appeals the Election Court's decision to avoid his victory in the Kimanis parliamentary seat.
He said if Anifah does not appeal and a by-election happens, Warisan will likely contest the seat.
"Seeing that Warisan only lost by 154 votes, I feel we are qualified to contest," he said.
Asked if a candidate from Bersatu was a possibility, Liew said it was up to the presidents of Bersatu and Warisan to decide but reiterated that it was previously contested by Warisan.
In the 2018 general election, Anifah, representing Umno, won the Kimanis seat with 11,942 votes against Warisan's Karim Bujang who garnered 11,786 votes. Harapan Rakyat's Jaafar Ismail only gained 1,300 votes.
However, Anifah had since left Umno and is now an independent. - Mkini
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