Anwar pushes independent body to investigate enforcement personnel

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has asked the attorney-general to review a proposal for an independent body to investigate and take action on all complaints, accusations and misconduct involving enforcement agencies.

Anwar said this was to ensure that enforcement agencies do not conduct their own investigations into cases or complaints involving their officers or personnel.

He said the enforcement agencies include the police, customs department, immigration department and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

"I have asked the attorney-general to relook into the initial proposal so that there is a mechanism for all enforcement agencies. 

"If there are special charges against MACC, immigration, police or customs officers, then there should be an independent body (to investigate), (maybe) in the form of a commission, I’m not sure yet.

"There has already been an instruction to the attorney-general to submit a proposal so that these enforcement agencies do not investigate their own, but there should be another independent body to do so.

"I don’t think this matter is complicated because there is already a preliminary proposal," he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Gobind Singh Deo (PH-Damansara) on the government’s measures to ensure that investigations against officers of enforcement bodies such as the MACC are carried out independently.