• Politics Government Moves to Separate Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor Roles
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• ramani on 2025-12-09 23:51:54

By R. Muralitharan

Kuala Lumpur, 10 December - Plans to separate the roles of the Attorney-General and the public prosecutor have reached the second stage, as reported by Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

Azalina explained that, following the cabinet's approval of a complete separation model, she submitted a final report on Tuesday (9 December) to the Special Technical Task Force, which is led by her deputy, M. Kulasegaran.

According to the Pengerang MP, the report provides a summary of a thorough study, which included comparisons of international best practices and feedback from over 7,000 people through focus groups, surveys, and interviews.

“Phase two will focus on finalising the organisational structure, looking into the need for changes to the Federal Constitution, updating relevant laws, and drafting new legislation to ensure that this reform agenda is implemented fully and effectively,” Azalina posted on Facebook.

The meeting included Selayang MP William Leong, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Elections, and Institutional Reform; Senator Rita Sarimah Patrick Insol, chair of the Senate Legal Review Committee; Besut MP Datuk Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh; and Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong.

Also present were Datuk Zamri Misman, director-general of the Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister's Department; Deputy Public Prosecutor II Datuk Seri Umar Saifuddin Jaafar; several senior officials from the ministry and agencies; and Malaysian Bar president Datuk Ezri Wahab.

On November 26, the government agreed to present the Constitution (Amendment) Bill in the second Parliament meeting next year, which will allow for the separation of the Attorney-General and public prosecutor roles.

Azalina, who is also the Umno's Information Chief, mentioned that after the constitutional amendment is enacted, the government will also introduce the Remuneration Bill and an omnibus Law Reform (Public Prosecutor) Bill to amend various laws related to the separation of the Attorney-General's advisory role from prosecutorial duties.