PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been served a subpoena to testify before a royal commission of inquiry into the Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge issues.
Mahathir said he will appear before the RCI on June 12, adding that he previously requested to attend the entire proceedings since it began on May 21.
“My lawyers and I had already expected to be called to attend the proceedings since I was a party involved in the matter being discussed by the RCI (as the prime minister then).
“I really hope that this RCI will be held openly so that members of the public will be able to follow its proceedings. This is because there were various accusations made against me previously, which were also widely reported in the media.
And some of these accusations were made by members of the Cabinet, claiming among others that I had made decisions unilaterally and discreetly,” he said in a statement.
Mahathir maintained that any decision made with regards to Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge followed the advice of lawyers and legal experts both local and foreign.
He said that when he was the prime minister, the matter was brought to the Cabinet before a decision was made.
He reiterated that the law clearly stipulated that it was compulsory for him or his lawyer to attend the proceedings until its conclusion, citing Section 18 of the Commission of Enquiry Act 1950.
In 2008, the International Court of Justice decided that Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Middle Rocks to Malaysia, and South Ledge to the state in the territorial waters in which it is located.
Malaysia applied to the ICJ requesting an interpretation of the judgment in 2017.
In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government, led by Mahathir, withdrew an application to overturn the ICJ ruling awarding legal jurisdiction of Batu Puteh to Singapore.
A seven-member RCI led by former chief justice Raus Sharif was formed in February to look into the matter.
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