KOTA KINABALU – The federal government has filed an appeal to overturn the high court order to declassify the investigation into the tragic Double Six air crash.
The chief secretary to the government, transport minister and the government filed the appeal via the attorney-general’s office on March 10.
They are seeking to overturn the Kota Kinabalu High Court decision by justice Datuk Christopher Chin Soo Yin ordering the findings of the experts regarding the ill-fated Nomad aircraft that carried, among others, a Sabah chief minister to be made public.
On March 8, Chin ruled in favour of the review filed by former chief minister Tan Sri Harris Mohd Salleh to make the classified report public.
The federal government has kept the investigation classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972 since the probe was completed following the air crash on June 6, 1976.
The crash killed 10 people onboard, including then Sabah chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens, following which, Harris was made chief minister.
In his ruling, Chin ordered the chief secretary, transport minister as well as the Malaysian government to declassify the report in three months’ time or by June 8.
He also ordered the federal government to ensure the Australian government acted accordingly to enable the report to be made public promptly should such declassification require any related action by the latter.
Fuad and state ministers Datuk Salleh Sulong, Datuk Peter Mojuntin and Chong Thien Vun were among those who perished in the air crash. They were on a flight from Labuan when the aircraft crashed in Sembulan here while approaching Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Others who died in the crash were state assistant minister Darius Binion, Sabah Finance Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Wahid Peter Andau, Isak Atan (private secretary to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who was the finance minister then), Kpl Said Mohammad (Fuad’s bodyguard), pilot Gandhi Nathan and Fuad’s eldest son Johari Stephens. – The Vibes, March 14, 2023
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