He also alleged that it was held behind closed doors.

In a statement, the former prime minister said the law clearly stipulates that it was compulsory for him or his lawyer to attend the proceedings until its conclusion, citing Section 18 of the Commission of Enquiry Act 1950.

“How am I to explain or defend myself if my lawyer and I are not allowed to attend the proceedings?”

Mahathir said the objection by his lawyers Rafique Rashid Ali and Zainur Zakaria over not being notified was dismissed.

The lawyers were also barred from attending the proceedings, he added.

Mahathir questioned why the proceedings were conducted “secretly” as the setting up of the RCI had been made public, with ministers openly giving their views and levelling accusations against him.

He added that apart from applying for the right to attend the proceedings, he had also applied for RCI chairman, former chief justice Raus Sharif, and commissioners Baljit Singh Sidhu and Ridha Abdul Kadir to recuse themselves due to a conflict of interest.

“I have made several other applications which I shall go into detail later.”

Rafique had previously argued that Raus’s appointment was a gross violation of natural justice as he was an interested party.

In 2008, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided that Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Middle Rocks to Malaysia and South Ledge to the state in the territorial waters in which it is located.

Malaysia applied to the ICJ requesting an interpretation of the judgment in 2017.

In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government, led by Mahathir, withdrew an application to overturn the ICJ ruling awarding legal jurisdiction of Batu Puteh to Singapore.