KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has failed in his bid to quash the Royal Commission of Inquiry's (RCI) decision to dismiss his application to terminate two of the commission's panel members.
The former premier filed a leave application on Aug 9 to initiate a judicial review to disqualify Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan and Tan Sri Saw Choo Boon, who are sitting on the RCI panel investigating Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) foreign exchange (forex) losses in the 1980s and 1990s.
In dismissing Dr Mahathir's application, High Court judge Datin Azizah Nawawi said the commission has no jurisdiction to disqualify its own panel members.
Dr Mahathir filed the application for leave to challenge the appointment of Petroliam Nasional Bhd chairman Mohd Sidek and Special Task Force on Facilitating Businesses co-chairman Saw as RCI panel members on the grounds that the two were earlier involved in the Special Task Force probing the case.
He named the two, and the other panel members, which comprise High Court judge Datuk Wira Kamaludin Md Said, Bursa Malaysia Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tajuddin Atan, Malaysian Institute of Accountants and Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants member K. Puspanathan, the commission's secretary Datuk Dr Yusof Ismail and the government as respondents in his legal action.