ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES INTEGRITY COMMISSION BILL 2009 TABLED

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- The Enforcement Agencies Integrity
Commission Bill 2009, tabled in Parliament Wednesday to replace the Independent
Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, will involve 21 public agencies and
give the new commission more powers to act.

The Bill which was tabled for the first reading by Home Minister Syed Hamid
Albar, is aimed at enhancing the integrity of enforcement agencies, reducing
misconduct among enforcement officers and building public confidence in the
enforcement agencies.

Based on the Bill, the function of the Enforcement Agencies Integrity
Commission is to receive public complaints of misconduct involving enforcement
agencies or their officers.

It is also tasked with detecting, investigating and preventing misconduct by
enforcement agency officers.

Among the agencies that come under the purview of the commission are the
Immigration Department, Royal Customs Department, Road Transport Department,
Department of Environment, Occupational Health and Safety Department, National
Registration Department and Fisheries Department.

The others include the National Wildlife and Parks Department, Manpower
Department, the Health Ministry's Enforcement Division, Tourism Ministry's
Licensing Unit, Housing and Local Government Ministry's Monitoring and
Enforcement Division and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board.

However, the Bill does not cover the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

According to the Bill, the Malaysian King on the advice of the prime
minister, can appoint not more than seven commissioners, including a chairman
and deputy chairman, and they must not be serving or had served as enforcement
officers.

The Bill also provides for the setting up of a Complaints Committee to
receive complaints on misconduct, and to maintain a record of all complaints
received by the commission.

The Complaints Committee will weigh the complaints made, determine the kind
of misconduct committed, carry out preliminary investigations into the
complaints, and update the complainants on the status of their complaints and
the action taken.

The commission can also set up a task force with other authorities or any
committee if deeemd necessary or suitable in order to facilitate its functions.

The Complaints Committee can conduct a preliminary investigation to gather
more information in order to determine the kind of misconduct committed and
whether a full investigation should be carried out or not.

If it is found that an act of indiscipline, corruption or misconduct has
been committed as reported, the committee must immediately submit a report to
the commission for further action.

The commission will then prepare a report of the case as classified and
ascertain whether it should be referred to the disciplinary board or the deputy
public prosecutor, if a criminal offence has been committed.

However, if the complaint is found to be invalid, the commission will record
its finding and inform the complainant about it.

For the purpose of investigation, the commission can issue a written notice
to ask an individual to appear before the commission or the task force at a
specified place and time, with the requested documents or information.

With a search warrant issued by the magistrate, the commission or task force
has the power to check or seal a premises or remove a vehicle, machines and
equipment, documents and other items that can help in the investigation.

Earlier, Deputy Finance Minister Kong Cho Ha tabled a Bill to amend Clauses
2 to 7 of the Income Tax Act 1967 for the first reading.

There will also be a new Section 46B in the Income Tax Act (Amendment) 2009
with a provision for a tax cut with interest on the amount spent by an
individual to buy a housing unit.

With this amendment, an individual is eligible to get a personal tax relief
of up to RM10,000 on the interest accrued each year of assessment for three
consecutive years.

This Bill does not involve any additional expenditure by the government.
-- BERNAMA