KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — The Parliamentary Caucus on Reform and Good Governance has backed calls for the government to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into claims of judicial interference.

Its deputy chairman Lim Kit Siang said the Caucus viewed the allegation seriously, calling it a grave matter that warranted immediate attention.

“The Caucus met... and we deliberated on an issue that we fear may affect the integrity of our judiciary,” The Iskandar Puteri MP told reporters in Parliament here.

“We view with utmost seriousness the allegation by the Court of Appeal judge that received widespread press coverage.”

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He said the panel shared public concern about the integrity of the judiciary after the allegation surfaced.

“We recommend that a RCI be established in order to protect the integrity of judicial institutions,” he said.

Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer had in a 63-page affidavit filed recently revealed explosive and detailed information on numerous incidences of alleged judicial interference by some of the country’s top judges.

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Among them was interference in the sedition proceeding of former Bukit Gelugor member of Parliament and DAP chairman, the late Karpal Singh.

The bipartisan Caucus oversees the new administration’s reform push.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today the committee is expected to deliberate on various key issues soon, including electoral reforms and living cost pressure.

“We will need to study the details of proposals by Bersih,” he told reporters, referring to the influential poll reform group.