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Friday, September 30, 2022

PM orders criminal investigation against ex-AG Tommy Thomas




PM orders criminal investigation against ex-AG Tommy Thomas




The investigations on former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas will be conducted under Sections 124(1) and 203A of the Penal Code, Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act 1972, and Section 3 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act 2009. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Friday, 30 Sep 2022 5:03 PM MYT



KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has directed that immediate investigations for possible wrongdoing be taken against former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas over the latter’s memoirs.

The prime minister said this was based on the report of the special task force investigating the matter, which was presented to the Cabinet today.


In a statement, Ismail Sabri said the investigations will be conducted under Sections 124(I) and 203A of the Penal Code, Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act 1972, and Section 3 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act 2009.

“The report was prepared by this team within nine months, since December 2021 to August 2022, detailing each of the allegations mentioned by Thomas in his book titled ‘My Story: Justice in the Wilderness’.


“Based on the investigation conducted, the team categorised 19 important issues detected in book the into four main topics,” said Ismail Sabri.


The four topics were allegations against the judiciary; the disclosure of government information and secrets; wrongful acts, abuse, and negligence; as well as seditious statements.

On August 29, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the special task force the appointed last year had met 10 times between December 23, 2021 and April 12.

Wan Junaidi said the meetings involved discussions and consultations with relevant individuals and agencies such as the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), Royal Malaysia Police, Judicial Services Commission, Office of the Chief Registrar Federal Court of Malaysia, Finance Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry.

The special task force is chaired by Sarawak state legal adviser and former Sarawak state attorney general Datuk Seri Fong Joo Chung.

Thomas was appointed as the AG after Pakatan Harapan won the 2018 general election, and resigned after the administration collapsed in February 2020 due to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation as the prime minister.

In January, Thomas wrote to Chung and said he has no intention of cooperating with the investigation as the task force’s creation is not only unprecedented but without legal basis, and potentially jeopardises the independence of the AGC.

After Thomas published “My Story: Justice In The Wilderness” in January last year, more than 100 police reports were made against him, most of which were by Umno members.


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