Court directs Tun M to file Batu Puteh RCI report as fresh evidence
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal today directed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to file an application to introduce the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on the Batu Puteh sovereignty issue as fresh evidence in his appeal.
The Court of Appeal has ordered Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to submit an application to present the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report concerning Batu Puteh as new evidence in his ongoing appeal. The inquiry panel, consisting of Datuk Azizul Azmi Adnan, Datuk Ong Chee Kwan, and Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Harun, granted Tun Mahathir's legal representative, Zainur Zakaria, two weeks to submit the application.
Zainur argued that the RCI report demonstrated that Tun Mahathir was under investigation for his role in the handling of the Batu Puteh issue. He claimed that Tun Mahathir was denied the opportunity to attend the RCI hearings and cross-examine witnesses against him. The lawyer further stated that a task force established on October 8, 2021, concluded that Tun Mahathir was responsible for the loss of Batu Puteh.
The RCI report subsequently found that Tun Mahathir had misled the Cabinet regarding the matter and recommended a criminal investigation against him under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code. However, the Prime Minister decided against taking legal action against Tun Mahathir due to age-related reasons. Tun Mahathir had filed a judicial review application on June 5, 2024, requesting to be recognized as a party to the RCI investigation and to be allowed to participate fully in the proceedings.
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