PETALING JAYA: Security should be tightened at court houses across the country to weed out bail and legal service touts who try to profit by acting as middlemen, says the Malaysian Bar.
Its president Datuk Mohamad Ezri Abdul Wahab (pic) said the plan to rotate police personnel at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex was a positive first step, but it should cover courts nationwide.
“We commend the KL Courts for this initiative, and we hope similar initiatives are implemented at other major court complexes and subordinate courts to ensure consistency in enforcement and protect court users nationwide,” he said in an interview.
He said a multi-pronged approach was needed to effectively curb touting, including by strengthening physical and procedural barriers.
“The deployment of enforcement personnel and controlled access to sensitive areas like court lock-ups should be standard practice in all court complexes.
“Many touts exploit the vulnerability of the public.
“The Malaysian Bar will continue to work with the courts and relevant government agencies to disseminate clear information about how to obtain legitimate legal assistance, including legal aid schemes and official referral channels.
“Legal practitioners, the public and court staff should be encouraged to report suspected touting promptly. The Malaysian Bar has issued circulars reminding members about their duty to report offences and assist enforcement under the Minor Offences Act 1955,” he said.
Mohamad Ezri was commenting on a recent circular released by the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court stating that police officers would be deployed on a rotational basis at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex.
The issue was thrust into the spotlight after The Star’s investigative reports in August and October, which exposed how touts and middlemen operate brazenly within court premises.
In another circular by the Bar dated Sept 23, the Malaysian Bar’s Anti-Touting Committee reminded members of the seriousness of the issue and highlighted the urgent need for collective action to combat the unethical practice.
It reminded legal practitioners that touting is an offence under Section 15A of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which states that any person who is guilty of touting can be punished with a fine, imprisonment or both.
“This provision clearly criminalises touting,” the circular read.
“The continued prevalence of touting threatens the credibility of the legal profession and compromises access to justice. Members of the Bar have a duty to uphold the dignity, ethics and integrity of the profession.”
Former Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong said it was good that the courts and police were taking measures to address the issue.
The Bar Council, too, had taken steps to curb the problem, he said.
“We have put up banners to inform and warn the public not to engage the services of touts.
“We set up the Legal Aid or Yayasan Bantuan Guaman Kuala Lumpur desks at floors where the Lower Courts (Magistrate’s and Sessions Courts) are located to inform the public that such legal representation services are available, and to educate the public not to engage touts.
“Police officers have also been assigned to these floors to assist. But these measures could not be in place indefinitely due to a lack of resources,” he told The Star.
Lawyer Kitson Foong suggested a system reboot to strengthen the judiciary’s integrity.
“While rotating police officers is a nice gesture, it’s just treating a symptom when the whole system needs an overhaul.
“We’re placing police personnel in high-traffic areas, which creates an opportunity for ethical compromise. This isn’t low-level chaos; it’s a slick, systemic racket where money targets vulnerability.
“Since the lawyers and those who assist them are too smart for simple local rules, my view is we must move to external authority and total transparency,” he said.
He said touting was like high-level bribery and solicitation.
“My view is that we stop treating it like a parking violation.
“Perhaps it’s time the anti-corruption body officially designates our major courts as high-risk integrity areas and deploy their own covert monitoring teams to gather intelligence,” he said.
