DPPs, lawyers await AG’s appointment of new prosecution head

 

The AGC’s prosecution division’s deputy head Masri Daud is believed to be a frontrunner, with special litigation unit head Raja Rozela Raja Toran also a contender.

PETALING JAYA: With Idrus Harun’s appointment as attorney-general (AG) extended until September, deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) and criminal practitioners are waiting anxiously to see who he will appoint to lead his chambers’ prosecution division.

The previous holder of the office, Nik Suhaimi Nik Sulaiman, retired last month.

Sources tell FMT the division’s current deputy head Masri Daud is the frontrunner, while special litigation unit head Raja Rozela Raja Toran is also a contender to land the position.

“Both are in the Jusa A grade. However, candidates from the AGC’s other divisions with the same ranking and who have done criminal law work cannot be ruled out,” a source told FMT.

Former Malaysian Bar president Salim Bashir said the prosecution division represents the frontline of the AGC.

“This division deals extensively with the public and key law enforcement agencies,” said the lawyer, who has extensive experience in criminal law.

The division exercises powers vested in the AG as public prosecutor. DPPs from the division conduct prosecutions in all courts across the country, including high-profile criminal cases and those which involve the death penalty and long custodial sentences.

On top of that, the division gives advice and instructions to all enforcement agencies in relation to investigations and criminal prosecutions.

DPPs also peruse investigation papers to determine whether to institute prosecutions and deal with representations from lawyers asking for charges brought against their clients to be dropped or reduced.

A retired DPP said it was critical that the new division head provide leadership and guidance to his subordinates.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he lamented that the division had lost much of its shine in recent years as compared to the “glory days” when prosecutors were more than a match for practising lawyers in terms of knowledge and advocacy skills.

“In the old days, ex-attorney-general Abu Talib Othman and former head of prosecution Yusuf Zainal Abiden would be present in court to inspire their subordinates.

“This culture is evidently missing now,” he said.

He called on the new division head and its senior officers to lend juniors a hand in their conduct of trials, especially in delicate cases such as those involving the death penalty and corruption. - FMT