Don't use Thomas book report for political mileage, Ismail Sabri told

 

Caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was warned against using the report on former attorney-general (AG) Tommy Thomas’ book for political advantage.

The report, which was made public yesterday, should not be used as political ammunition, said DAP national chairperson Lim Guan Eng, as this would amount to political interference.

“The AG has a statutory duty to act independently, free from political interference, without fear or favour,” he said.

This comes as Ismail Sabri (above), who is an Umno vice-president, said on Monday (Oct 17) that releasing the report was to give Umno “bullets” to attack its rivals.

In a rally at Bagan Datuk, Perak, he urged BN’s election machinery to “capitalise” on the findings in the upcoming general election.

In a statement today, Lim took a swipe at Ismail Sabri, saying this is a “definite abuse of power”.

“Ismail Sabri’s open admission that he instructed the AG to act due to political benefits to Umno clearly violates the AG’s role of statutory independence and makes any investigation and subsequent prosecution mala fide or in bad faith.

“Any such charges filed against Thomas in court should naturally be dismissed as prosecutorial misconduct because it is naturally biased, prejudiced, and politically motivated with no connection to upholding justice,” he said.

The cabinet set up the task force last year to probe the book titled ‘My Story: Justice in the Wilderness’ which documented Thomas’ time as AG.

In the report, the task force made recommendations including separating the role of AG and public prosecutor as well as amending laws for independent judicial appointments.

Lim questioned if Ismail Sabri will adopt the recommendations stated in the report.

“Will Ismail Sabri adopt these recommendations by the special task force to promote judicial independence free from political interference?” he asked. - Mkini