Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof said, “The duration of an investigation into any case, including those involving public servants, generally depends on the facts and complexity of the case. For complex cases, investigations by enforcement agencies do require time to ensure that sufficient evidence is gathered.”

The minister said this during the seventh day of the First Meeting of the 22nd Session of the Legislative Council on Wednesday in response to the issue of  a public servant’s suspension of work during the duration of investigation being too lengthy.

Regarding the regulations on the suspension of public servants, he shared, “the Circulars of the Prime Minister’s Office No 19/1998 empowers the permanent secretary and head of department to take action to withhold half of the salary and allowances, as well as suspend public servants from performing their duties upon receiving reports from the relevant government authority agencies regarding the involvement of public servants in criminal cases.”

Therefore, he said, “the actions taken by the permanent secretary and head of department, which involve suspending officers/staff from performing their duties upon receiving reports, are in order and in accordance with the regulations outlined in the Circulars.”

The minister is also aware of the issue raised regarding cases where public servants have been suspended for years before receiving a disciplinary decision from the Public Service Commission.

The duration of suspension for public servants, as mentioned earlier, he elaborated, “is subject to the jurisdiction and processes of the relevant government authority agencies.”

“This includes the time taken for investigations, the review by the Attorney General’s Office in determining whether the case should be brought to court, and the duration of the trial in court, all of which contribute to the overall length of the suspension.”

In line with the desire to safeguard the welfare of officers and staff, as well as their families, he revealed, “the Public Service Department will soon review the effectiveness of the actions to be taken in accordance with the requirements of the Circulars of the Prime Minister’s Office No 19/1998, particularly by the relevant government authority agencies, while also adhering to the applicable legal provisions under the jurisdiction of each agency. Insya Allah this will help reduce the duration of prolonged suspensions.”

At the same time, he said, “the Public Service Department is actively reviewing matters related to conduct and discipline under the Public Service Commission Act Chapter 83, and this will be updated in the HR Manual book, which is currently being prepared. This aims to provide more detailed processes for disciplinary actions within the public service.”

As for the Attorney General’s Office, improvements have been made to address this issue, including prioritising investigation files involving public servants as soon as they are received, so that prosecution decisions can be made more promptly.

(news source: Borneo Bulletin; pic source: Info Foto, Jabatan Penerangan)