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KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – The Malaysian government is allowing a cabinet minister to leave without being punished for disobeying mandatory quarantine procedures after returning from a trip to Turkey in July.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGC) decided that “No further action will be taken” (NFA) against the Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, for violating the home quarantine rule, police said on Wednesday (21 May October).
“We have received instructions to report the outcome of the case. The instructions are for NFA the case because the minister did not receive the 14B form to undergo quarantine,” said Commissioner Huzir Mohamed, head of the criminal investigation department of Headquarters of Malaysian police.
He said the decision was made, as no “concrete statement” was given that could be used to accuse the minister.
When asked if the Ministry of Health did not provide the form to the minister, Datuk Huzir replied “Yes”.
The police had submitted their investigative papers to the AGC last month, after registering the statements of more than 10 people in connection with the case.
Datuk Khairuddin’s violation of the mandatory 14-day quarantine came to light when it was raised in Parliament on August 18 by an opposition MP.
He had returned from what he described as a “semi-work trip” to that country, which included members of his family, on July 7.
After the matter came to light, the Ministry of Health said that it had slapped Mr. Khairuddin with a fine of 1,000 ringgit (S $ 330) for violating the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.
Khairuddin has said he would forfeit his salary from May to August as an act of remorse for violating the 14-day quarantine rule.
In a statement, where he apologized to all Malaysians, he said he would donate the money to the national Covid-19 fund of the Ministry of Health.
However, many Malaysians still insisted that he should resign, noting that members of the public found guilty of the same offense were imprisoned and subjected to higher fines.
The MP is one of 18 federal lawmakers from Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government who has a slim majority in parliament.
Later, Malaysia’s Attorney General Idrus Harun said in a statement that the minister will not be prosecuted because the Health Ministry had not issued a home quarantine order.
The AG said, as reported by Malay Mail online news, that under the Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Act of 1988, there must be a home surveillance order issued by the Ministry of Health before anyone can be said has committed the crime of non-compliance with a home quarantine order.
“Consequently, based on the previous consideration, the Attorney General’s Office has decided not to prefer any charge against the minister due to lack of evidence and, therefore, does not meet the burden of proof required by law,” he said, quoted by the news site.
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