KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — The government should form a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to ascertain the allegations made by a senior judge that the former Barisan Nasional (BN) administration had tampered with the judiciary during its tenure, urged a civil rights group.
Lawyers for Liberty said the disclosure by sitting Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer should not be taken lightly, and instead seen as strong evidence of serious misconduct and wrongdoing in the judiciary’s highest levels.
“Justice Hamid Sultan’s disclosure must therefore be acted upon, and a Royal Commission formed which can afford immunity and protection to all potential witnesses including Hamid Sultan himself,” said its adviser N. Surendran in a statement.
Adding that the interference of BN in the judiciary affected cases including Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s second sodomy case as well as the late Karpal Singh’s sedition case in 2014, he said the RCI’s ambit must be wide and not limited to any time period, but include the whole period of BN rule subject to availability of evidence.
“In particular the identity of the top judge referred to as ‘ARLC’ by Hamid Sultan must be established, and he must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if the RCI finds him guilty.
“No stone must be left unturned, till all the truth is discovered. It is clear that many other witnesses will come forward if an RCI is established,” Surendran said.
He explained that the group has collected evidence that indicate interference with subordinate court judges in politically sensitive matters, including an incident where a top judge interfered with a high profile ‘political’ prosecution at the Shah Alam Sessions Court during the BN administration.
“We believe this top judge may be the same ‘ARLC’ referred to by Justice Hamid Sultan. We are prepared to provide all information to an RCI.
“The subversion and interference with the judiciary under the BN regime must be exposed to public scrutiny to ensure that there is never another attempt to make the judiciary corrupt or subservient to the government,” Surendran said.
He added that its worst suspicions have been proven true by Hamid Sultan’s disclosure, and that those guilty of such acts must face justice.
