AZALINA LEADS DELEGATION TO AUSTRALIA FOR EMPIRICAL STUDY ON SEPARATION OF POWERS OF AGC AND PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said headed a Malaysian delegation to Australia to continue the Empirical study on the structure and separation of powers of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor.

Azalina in a statement today said the working visit from June 2 to 6, included her deputy M. Kulasegaran, Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reform chairman William Leong Jee Keen and the Opposition block’s representative Datuk Awang Hashim.

Others in the delegation were officers from the Prime Minister's Department's Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU), Attorney General’s Department and president of the Malaysian Bar Council.

Azalina said the agenda for the Empirical study had started with a round table discussion organised by the BHEUU, Monash University Australia and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa with experts in the field.

"(It) was aimed at providing ways to ease the dialogue regarding the structure and roles of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor practiced in Malaysia and Australia.

"The session was held by Professor Marilyn Pittard, the Interim Dean of Monash University’s Law Faculty and attended by 50 experts from both countries as members of the panel and special lecturers," she said.

Azalina said among those involved were Malaysia’s Constitutional expert Assoc Professor Datuk Dr Shamrahayu Ab Aziz and Former Chief Crown Prosecutor and Director of Public Prosecutions of Victoria, Paul Coghlan.

Also present were representatives of Civil Community Organisations and Non Governmental Organisations like the Human Rights Commission, Project SAMA, CSO Platform for Reform and All Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Integrity, Governance and Anti-Corruption.

Azalina added that when in Canberra, the delegation had a discussion with the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Australia Mark de Crespigny, and officers from the Director of Public Prosecutions office (Australia).

The highlight of the visit was a meeting with the Attorney General of Australia, Mark Dreyfus for two sessions of bilateral discussions about the current system adopted in Australia and to understand the process of prosecution and structure of the Public Prosecutions Office in Australia.

"I also had the opportunity to meet Australia’s Minister of Communications Michelle Rowland and Deputy Foreign Minister of Australia Tim Watts at the Australian Parliament Building to discuss various topics that had mutual benefits to both countries," she said.

Azalina through the statement said the Malaysian delegation also had an opportunity to be engaged in several dialogue sessions on Institutional Reforms with Malaysian students and professionals who are in Melbourne and Canberra.

-- BERNAMA