SEVERAL proposed amendments to the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) Act 2009 (Act 700) were among the matters deliberated on at the first discussion on strengthening the EAIC today.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Azalina Othman Said said the session discussed the prime minister’s mandate on the proposal to establish a new independent body and/or strengthening of EAIC to monitor wrongdoings of enforcement agencies.

“Among the matters discussed was the establishment of the pro-tem committee, which the cabinet agreed upon on April 19.

“This committee will, among other things, study the need to include the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as one of the enforcement agencies listed under EAIC’s supervision,” she said in a statement today.

After this, Azalina said, the committee will hold engagement sessions soon with all interested parties including government and opposition lawmakers as well as civil society groups.

“The government is very committed to establishing a truly independent body with effective and efficient disciplinary jurisdiction to inculcate and improve integrity among enforcement officers and agencies,” she added.

Today’s meeting, held at the Legal Affairs Division, Prime Minister’s Department, was attended by EAIC chairman Mohd Sidek Hassan, Solicitor-General Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh and representatives of EAIC, the divison, Attorney-General’s Chambers, MACC, Public Service Department and the Prime Minister’s Department.

EAIC was established under Act 700, which was gazetted on September 3, 2009 and became effective on April 1, 2011.

At the moment, there are 21 enforcement agencies listed under the Act 700 Schedule, and its application to MACC is exempted under sub-section 1(5) of Act 700. – Bernama, May 2, 2023.