Cabinet agrees on RCI into Tommy Thomas’ allegations in memoir

January 12, 2023

Cabinet agrees on RCI into Tommy Thomas’ allegations in memoir

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — The cabinet has agreed with the special task force’s proposal to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to further examine the allegations made by former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas in his controversial memoir, My Story: Justice in the Wilderness.“This is because transparency and accountability are at the basis of people’s trust in the administration of justice and government institutions.

According to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, the RCI’s terms of commission will have a scope wider than the proposal’s recommendations.

“The government takes a serious view of the allegations involving the violation of professional responsibilities by a bearer of high office.

“This is because transparency and accountability are at the basis of people’s trust in the administration of justice and government institutions.

“The RCI aims to find the truth and submit recommendations to the government on the reform of the country’s legal institutions and not to find fault with any particular party,” she said in a statement today.

She added that the detailed terms of commission, members, and the duration of the RCI will be recommended later by the government.

Thomas’ book, published in January 2021, caused a public uproar resulting in the cabinet establishing a special task force as a fact-finding body to conduct an in-depth review and analysis of its contents.

More than a hundred police reports were lodged against Thomas for his book.