EAIC wants MACC under its purview

The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) Act 2009 will be amended to allow more enforcement agencies to be listed under the purview of the independent body.

EAIC chairman Datuk Yaacob Md Sam said among the proposed amendment was to delete Section 1 (5) of the law on the exemption of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) from the law.

He said EAIC had received many enquiries on why MACC was exempted from EAIC's purview.



He said incidence such as the death of detainees during investigation by MACC, like in the case of political secretary Teo Beng Hock and Customs officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed gave justification for MACC to be placed under EAIC's purview.

"In view that EAIC investigates into complaints of misconduct by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), it should also be applicable to MACC," he told a media conference after a dialogue involving EAIC, non-governmental organisations and the media here yesterday.

Besides MACC, he said other agencies proposed to be placed under the EAIC's purview under the proposed amendment of the EAIC Act are the Social Welfare Department, Securities Commission of Malaysia and the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

A final version of the proposed amendment to the law would be sent to the Attorney-General soon after it had been fine-tuned, he added.

Yaacob said the proposed amendment of the EAIC Act is part of the effort to enhance integrity, accountability and credibility of the services of the federal enforcement agencies.

"EAIC hopes the (proposed) amendments to the act can be tabled in Parliament early next year," he added.

He said the proposed amendments to the law included making compulsory for disciplinary authorities to inform EAIC on proceedings and decisions made against enforcement officers for misconduct.

"Another is to empower EAIC to take over investigation on indiscipline by agencies if EAIC is not satisfied with the investigation that is being conducted.

"As an independent body, we should be the one investigating rather than the enforcement agency investigating its own officer," he added.

Yaacob said EAIC received 262 complaints between January and October this year.

He said a total of 309 complaints were received last year, 306 in 2013), 357 (2012) and 18 in 2011.

Almost 80% of the complaints were related to misconduct by the police, he said, adding that there were also complaints against officers from the Immigration Department, Road Transport Department, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency the Customs Department and the National Anti-Drug Agency. — Bernama