Exceptions to double jeopardy protection

A MALAYSIAN citizen, who was convicted in Canada of sexually assaulting dozens of women in Toronto, served out his 24-year sentence and was then deported to Malaysia. Understandably, there were demands from many concerned Malaysians to act against him in order to prevent any repeat of the heinous crimes.

These calls draw our attention to the constitutional prohibition in Article 7(2) against “double jeopardy”. There is also the fact that the offender’s crimes were committed outside our country and outside the jurisdiction of our courts.