KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee’s lawsuit challenging the legality of a proposed royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on judicial misconduct was the reason this has not been convened, Datuk Liew Vui Keong asserted today.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of legal affairs made the comments during a Hari Raya event in Batu Sapi, Sabah, today.

Liew explained that the former Sabah chief minister’s lawsuit meant the government must allow the law to take its course before proceeding with the RCI.

Yong filed his lawsuit in April to challenge the constitutionality of the proposed RCI on grounds that it would amount to executive interference in the affairs of the judiciary.

However, the minister assured the public today that related investigations by the police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission into the same matter will not be disrupted.

On calls for a second RCI to convened on the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah, Liew said this would be redundant unless there were new developments.

The government announced plans to convene a RCI to investigate allegations of judicial interference and judicial misconduct, prompted by Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer’s claims.