Gov't to decide on judiciary RCI after Yong's appeal deadline lapses

Putrajaya will decide on a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to look into judicial misconduct after former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee's appeal deadline elapses, said de facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong (photo).

According to Liew, Yong has 30 days to file an appeal at the Court of Appeal after his suit to stop the government from setting up an RCI to look into judicial misconduct was struck out by the Kota Kinabalu High Court yesterday.

"If he does not (file an appeal in 30 days), I guess the government will decide by then," he told the media at Parliament this evening.

"I think it depends on whether there is an appeal by the unsuccessful applicant in this case," he said.

Liew was asked if the government wishes to pursue setting up an RCI into judicial misconduct following the court's decision yesterday.

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.

Early last month, 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.

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