Committees investigating issues need more time

PUTRAJAYA: The committees looking into allegations by former attorney general Tommy Thomas, the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, and the review of the Pulau Batu Puteh case, have requested for more time.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the committees asked for an extra one month to finalise their reports.

“They needed the extra time due to several factors. One committee’s report was in English and it has to be translated into Bahasa Malaysia with the help of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka,” he told reporters yesterday.

Wan Junaidi further explained the committees had also sought help from certain individual witnesses with documents but these could not be produced immediately.

“There are also cases where witnesses were no longer in the country and this needs to be sorted out.

“I believe that by August, reports from the committees will be ready,” he said.

In October last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the setting up of the three committees which were given six months to produce findings and recommendations to the Cabinet.

The committee investigating allegations by the former AG in his book My Story: Justice in the Wilderness among others were directed to probe his allegations on abuse of power in appointing judges, interference of the executive branch in the judiciary and selective prosecution that is political in nature.

For Pulau Batu Puteh, the committee is tasked to review laws relating to the case, and is to propose suitable options by getting views from experts on international laws.

The Pakatan Harapan government withdrew an application which was to have been heard in June 2018 to overturn the International Court of Justice’s ruling awarding legal jurisdiction of Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore in 2008.

For the case involving fire fighter Muhammad Adib Kassim, the committee’s responsibility is to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation into his death.Muhammad Adib, a member of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services unit from the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue station suffered serious injuries during a fracas at a temple in USJ25, Subang Jaya on Nov 27, 2018. He died the following month.