KUALA LUMPUR (July 13): The parliamentary special select committee’s report on the separation of roles between the attorney general (AG) and the public prosecutor will be tabled in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (July 14), according to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

In a statement Monday, she said the special select committee (SSC), which has convened seven times, proposed amendments include seven key improvements that enhance the independence, integrity and accountability of the office of the public prosecutor.

The improvements include giving Parliament a bigger role in appointments, allowing the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to appoint the public prosecutor based on the Judicial and Legal Service Commission's (JLSC) advice without input from the prime minister or Cabinet, setting a fixed seven-year term with no renewal option, introducing a Code of Ethics for Public Prosecutors, and allowing Parliament to pass laws to further strengthen the institution.

Further on the public prosecutor’s appointment process, Azalina reiterated that it is proposed that the JLSC submit the name of the candidate to the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat to be tabled.

“Dewan Rakyat shall then examine the candidate through a select committee before making its recommendation to the JLSC. In accordance with that recommendation, the JLSC shall advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong only in respect to the name recommended by Dewan Rakyat,” she said.

This change to give Parliament a formal role in the appointment process was announced on June 25.

This reform is not only about separating the roles of the AG and the public prosecutor, Azalina said, but also to build a prosecution institution that is independent, transparent and accountable in order to strengthen public confidence,

In March this year, Dewan Rakyat agreed to refer the bill to the parliamentary special select committee, chaired by Azalina and comprising 11 MPs from both the government and opposition blocs, to allow relevant stakeholders to further scrutinise and refine the proposed legislation.

Read also:
Cabinet agrees to strengthen parliamentary role in public prosecutor appointment process
Govt agrees to give Parliament role in public prosecutor appointment process
Proposed public prosecutor vetting falls short, backbenchers say

For more Parliament stories, click here.