PUTRAJAYA: Findings by special committees to look into claims made by former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas in his book, the Pulau Batu Puteh dispute and the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Kassim will be ready by August, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

       The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) said the committees tasked with looking into the three issues had asked for an extra month to finalise their reports.

       “They needed the extra time due to several factors. One committee's report was in English and has to be translated into Bahasa Malaysia, and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka has been roped in to assist,” he told reporters here on Monday (June 13).

       Wan Junaidi explained that the committees had also sought help from certain witnesses with documents but these could not be produced immediately.

       “There are also cases where witnesses are no longer in the country and this has to be sorted out.

       “I believe that by August, all the reports from the committees will be ready,” he said.

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       In October, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the setting up of the three committees which were given six months to produce findings and recommendations to the Cabinet.

       The committee investigating allegations by the former AG in his book My Story: Justice in the Wilderness was, among others, directed to probe his allegations on abuse of power in appointing judges, interference of the executive branch in the judiciary, and selective prosecution that is political in nature.

       For Pulau Batu Puteh, the committee was to review laws relating to the case, and propose suitable options by getting views from experts on international laws.

       The Pakatan Harapan government withdrew an application which was to have been heard in June 2018 to overturn the International Court of Justice’s ruling awarding legal jurisdiction of Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore in 2008.

       In the case of Muhammad Adib, the commitee’s responsibility was to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation of his death.

       Muhammad Adib, a member of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services unit from the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue station, suffered serious injuries during a fracas at a temple in USJ25, Subang Jaya on Nov 27, 2018. He died the following month.