Govt moving to separate roles of AG and public prosecutor

The government has initiated a move that will see the attorney-general (AG) no longer serving as the public prosecutor.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Takiyuddin Hassan in a statement today said the government was making plans to separate their functions.

He said this was to ensure justice and to fulfil the principles of the rule of law as well as to avoid conflicts of interest.

Takiyuddin said the matter would be improved through a comparative study with other countries but with the suitability of the Malaysian legal system.

He said this was being considered by the federal government, which he added was always open and ready to adopt measures to preserve the integrity and public confidence towards the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and its like.

Takiyuddin also said the government had no objection to considering the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) should the need arise for one if there are questions of integrity and confidence in the legislature, which he said should act as an adviser to the government in legal aspects as well as perform as the gatekeeper for criminal justice.

Earlier today, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Azalina Othman Said, in a Facebook post, called for an RCI to be set up to reform the AGC.

She said current developments in the country had caused the public’s trust in the AGC to erode.