Report on separation of powers between AG and public prosecutor ready soon

A report on the study of the separation of powers between the attorney-general and public prosecutor will be tabled at the cabinet meeting in the middle of this year, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong.

He said a working committee has been formed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers to prepare a report on the study and to submit its recommendations for the cabinet’s consideration.

“The need to amend the Federal Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Interpretation Act 1948 and 1967 as well as the relevant laws will be covered in the study,” he said during the oral question session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang), who wanted to know when the government would amend the Federal Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Interpretation Act 1948/1967 to separate the powers between the public prosecutor and attorney-general to ensure the prosecutor is free and neutral and, thus, prevent any negative perception or any government interference.

Liew said the separation of powers between the attorney-general and the public prosecutor was one of the promises in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto and also a strategy set out in the national key performance index (KPI) (ii) under the Mid-Term Review of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan 2016-2020.

- Bernama