In a statement, Suhakam said the move was in order to seek advice and guidance from the legal affairs division and to ensure transparency throughout the inquiry process.

“We stand by our commitment to ensure an independent inquiry is conducted to preserve the trust and confidence of the public,” it said.

Last week, Suhakam came under scrutiny after rights group Suaram raised concerns over Rahmat’s defamation suit against his own staff member.

A staff member had alleged that Rahmat had abused his powers to influence a Suhakam hiring panel to favour a specific candidate for the position of chief assistant secretary.

The staff member had reportedly lodged an official internal complaint against Rahmat in April, which resulted in the lawsuit.

However, Suhakam later said the suit was dropped to allow for an independent internal investigation that does not involve any member of the commission.

The commission also said it will conduct an internal audit and ask the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to consider assigning an integrity officer to Suhakam.