KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said a Cabinet meeting today agreed to the formation of one special committee and two task forces.
The special committee will investigate the 2018 death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.
Meanwhile, the first task force will examine the claims made by former attorney general (AG) Tan Sri Tommy Thomas in his memoirs.
The second task force, on the other hand, will review Malaysia’s legal options in relation to Pulau Batu Puteh, which was awarded to Singapore by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2018.
“The Cabinet meeting decided to establish a special committee to ensure a thorough, transparent and proper investigation into the death of firefighter, Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim,” Ismail Sabri said in a statement today.
He added that the committee would be chaired by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
It would also comprise Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, Minister of Housing and Local Government (KPKT), Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and AG Tan Sri Idrus Harun.
“The establishment of this special committee proves the government’s commitment to ensuring that Adib, 24, who belonged to the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) of the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station, gets justice, and that those responsible for his death are brought to justice,” he said.
Ismail Sabri added that the Cabinet also agreed to set up a special investigative task force to conduct a preliminary study before any further action is taken against the allegations made by Thomas in his book My Story: Justice in the Wilderness.
He said the task force would be chaired by a former chief justice, to be appointed in the near future, while the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) and the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) would be acting as the secretariat.
“The proposed special task force of inquiry aims to investigate, among others, Tommy Thomas’ allegations of abuse of power in the appointment of judges, executive interference in the judiciary, selective and political prosecutions and breaches in the oath of secrecy,” he said.
For the Pulau Batu Puteh case, Ismail Sabri said a special task force would be established to conduct a comprehensive study, as well as scrutinise and recommend appropriate options after seeking the views of international legal experts.
This body would be chaired by former AG Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.
“At the same time, the Cabinet has also decided to seek preliminary legal views on legal action under the ‘Tort of Misfeasance’ against any party found to have committed negligence and error due to not proceeding with the application for review and interpretation. the case of Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh,” he said.
