KUALA LUMPUR: A decision on the separation of powers of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor may be reached before the 16th General Election, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
However, the minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said that her ministry was still conducting the study on the separation of powers.
“I hope that before the next general election, we can make a decision,” she said in her speech while launching the AI Legal Justice Roadmap 2025–2026 and the Institutional Reform Map Microsite (PetaRI) at Universiti Malaya here on Thursday (May 22).
She said the Madani government intended for the separation of powers to define the Public Prosecutor’s role as the prosecutor and the AG’s role as the advisor to the government
Azalina added that her office was considering several elements, including defining the AG's advisory powers to the government.
She added that the separation of powers involving the AG and public prosecutor needs to be examined as a whole, considering that Sabah and Sarawak have their own prosecution powers.
She said that the Parliament Select Committee would scrutinise the technicalities while the study goes on.
“I hope the government can make a decision once we are ready to present (the outcome),” she said.
In March this year, Azalina said a delegation had conducted an empirical study in the United Kingdom on the proposed separation of the roles of Attorney General and Public Prosecutor.
Azalina said the visit marks the final phase of the study, following trips to Canada and Australia last year to examine in greater detail the models implemented in those countries as references for best practices and to identify a suitable framework for Malaysia.
