KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — Selayang MP William Leong has demanded that Putrajaya establish a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate claims made by Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer in an affidavit accusing members of the judiciary of scamming the government.
In a press statement today, Leong said that the RCI is the only way to solve the issue as it involves judges appointed after the setting up of the Judicial Appointment Commission.
“This is the only option there is for the truth to be revealed and appropriate action to be taken against those who may have committed offences and betrayed the public trust reposed on them.
“The government must deal with this issue immediately. Confidence in the judiciary has been impaired by the previous crisis. An RCI must be called immediately to prevent further loss of confidence in the judiciary and rule of law,” he said.
Pointing out that this is not the first time a judiciary crisis has shaken public confidence, Leong said the past two crises involving former Lord President Tun Mohamed Salleh Abas and lawyer, VK Lingam had required an RCI to look into the matter.
The PKR lawmaker said this justifies Hamid’s request for an RCI.
