Dr M’s counsel fails to recall witness

PUTRAJAYA: The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) has dismissed an application by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's counsel to recall a third witness in the inquiry.

Panel chairman Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said the commission would not call former Bank Negara assistant governor Datuk Abdul Murad Khalid for further examination.

“We feel what needed to be asked has been done. You have assisted the commission in questioning the witness, therefore we have no intention to call that witness again,” he said.

Later, Dr Mahathir's counsel Mohammed Haniff Khatri Abdulla said outside the courtroom that they requested to recall Abdul Murad on grounds that the witness was not asked the relevant questions and that he gave “fanciful” evidence.

The decision was made on the final day of the inquiry into the losses suffered by Bank Negara due to forex trading in the 1990s.

Mohd Sidek also addressed another issue that was raised by Haniff concerning the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), which released a statement regarding the RCI through its director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

Mohammed Haniff urged the commission to lodge a police report against Jasa for its statement that he claimed had insulted the witnesses in the inquiry.

“Not only was the statement false but it also contradicted what had been said before the inquiry. It is also a challenge to the dignity of the RCI,” he said.

Mohd Sidek, however, said the commission would not pursue the matter.

“There are probably a lot of (similar) statements. We did not even know about this until it was brought up,” he said.