A-G mulls stiffer penalties for leaking official secrets

PUTRAJAYA: The Attorney-General’s Cham­bers is considering increasing the punishment on those who leak official secrets, said Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali.

He said there were increasing cases of official secrets being leaked and reported by the media quoting sources.

He said the Chambers was looking into amending the Official Secrets Act 1972 to punish those who leak official secrets, including civil servants, the public and media practitioners who refused to disclose their sources.

He said the punishment include the possibility of life imprisonment and 10 strokes of the rotan.

“In some countries, the leaking of official secrets is a very serious offence. For example, it carries the death sentence in China,” he told Sin Chew Daily in an exclusive interview here.

Mohamed Apandi stressed that journalists, who refused to disclose their sources due to their journalistic ethics, could be considered as collaborating with potential saboteurs.

“We may charge journalists who refuse to reveal their sources.

“I am not joking. If I obtain 90% of evidence, I will charge the journalist, editor, assistant editor and editor-in-chief. I am serious, no kidding. We have too many cases of secrets being leaked in Malaysia.

“The right to know is not granted by the constitution,” he said, adding that the leaking such secrets would endanger the country.

On another matter, Mohamed Apandi said the RM2.6bil donation that was banked into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s personal account was from a son of the late King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.

“We know his name. He is still alive,” he said, adding that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers had recorded a statement from the donor and he had read the report.

“Why do people keep asking for the reason of the donation? They have to ask the donor. He has billions. He wants to give money to whoever, so what?” he said.

“This is his money. This is his personal matter. Our country do not have any laws to state that receiving political donation is illegal.”