House passes bills to allow online submission of appeal files

Two amendment bills have been approved to provide documents and records in criminal case appeals to be submitted online.

PETALING JAYA: The Dewan Rakyat has approved two amendment bills allowing documents and records for appeals of criminal cases to be handled online.

The Courts of Judicature (Amendment) Bill 2022 was approved after a debate involving seven MPs, while the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill 2022 was passed after a debate by eight MPs.

The bills were tabled by deputy law minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, who said the amendments provide for more efficiency in judicial administration, Bernama reported.

The bill amending the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 provides for appeal documents and records of criminal appeal trial proceedings to be filed online. It also limits appeals to civil interlocutory cases.

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Mas Ermieyati said the proposed amendment does not remove the parties’ right to appeal and to be heard.

“This amendment shows that only meritorious cases will be heard in the Court of Appeal. It will also make judicial administration more effective, and time and costs can be saved without affecting the justice and rights of any party,” she said.

The Criminal Procedure Code was similarly amended to allow the provision of paperless appeal documents and records.

“The amendment only adds the electronic submission method, and the existing method (physical submission) is still implemented,” she said when winding up the debate on the bills. - FMT