Nancy Shukri: Cops allowed to intercept calls, mails

Nancy Shukri - File pix

KUALA LUMPUR: The police are able to intercept communication on the approval of the Public Prosecutor if there is any information related to an offence, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri.

She said the Public Prosecutor was empowered under Section 116C of the Criminal Procedure Code to make any interception by the police.

"Among the ways communication may be intercepted include withholding and opening any packages sent via postal services, intercepting messages sent or received through telecommunication and tap or record conversations using telecommunications," she said in a written reply to Liew Chin Tong (DAP - Kluang) on Monday.

Liew had asked the number of cases allowed by the Public Prosecutor to intercept emails, telecommunications and posts of politicians, criminal suspects and the public between 1998 and this year.

Nancy said such provisions were also found in Section 27A of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Section 11 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, Section 43 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and Section 6 of the Security Offences (Special Measures) 2012.

"Since 2009, no communication interception was done involving politicians.

"Communication interception has been requested from time to time during intelligence gathering and investigations by the police and other enforcement authorities," she said.

She said requests to do so normally do not refer to any specific subject but it was more towards communication that needed to be intercepted for the purpose of information and evidence gathering in criminal investigations.