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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian activists and opposition leaders on Friday
called for former premier Mahathir Mohamad to be charged in court
for abuse of power during his 22-year reign.
Param Cumaraswamy, former UN special reporter on
judicial independence, this week publicly urged the government to
act against Mahathir based on testimony by the anti-corruption
watchdog.
Param said that during the corruption trial of
former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, the former anti-corruption
agency head Shafee Yahya told the court that Mahathir ordered him to
close a 2000 probe into a top government official.
“Mahathir must be held accountable,” he told
AFP Friday. “From Shafee’s evidence in court, Mahathir virtually
scuttled the investigations.”
Legal experts said abuse of power is a criminal
act carrying a penalty of 14 years imprisonment.
Anwar, who led a three-party opposition alliance
to stunning triumphs in the March 8 general elections, was sacked in
1998 and sentenced to jail after being convicted of ordering police
to cover-up alleged sexual misconduct.
-- AFP
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