JOHOR BARU – Putrajaya will consider the views of various parties before deciding on separating the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) from its current prosecutorial powers.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said reminded the Dewan Rakyat today that the separation of powers between the AGC and its prosecutorial division is a term of reference in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) looking into former Attorney-General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas’ book.
“One of the things we are facing with the Parliament Service Act 1963 is that parliamentary officers are against having specific departments.
“Similarly, the AGC may be against specialisation, so we need to have further consultations with them on this matter.
“Which is why, in the terms of reference for the RCI, the matter pertaining to separating the AGC and its prosecutorial division is one of the things that we will discuss,” she said.
Azalina was answering a question by Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH), on the government’s plans to ensure transparency by ensuring a separate and independent prosecutorial division.
On January 11, Azalina had announced the setting up of an RCI which would look into Thomas’ book My Story: Justice in the Wilderness.
She said the RCI’s terms of reference will cover a wider scope of matters than the terms of reference which were recommended by the special task force. – The Vibes, March 8, 2023
