Policing the enforcers: Who is holding enforcement agencies accountable in the face of misconduct?
As enforcement agencies operate with increasing autonomy and authority, the line between protector and perpetrator blurs in the face of misconduct.
Thankfully, we have the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) — a federal statutory body — established in 2011 to hold enforcement officers accountable for their transgression.
But first, what is the definition of misconduct of enforcement officers and enforcement agencies?
According to subsection 24(1) of the EAIC Act or Act 700, it is defined as any act by an enforcement officer contrary to existing laws, unreasonable, irrelevant or improperly discriminatory; inaction or non-compliant of existing standard operating procedure or criminal in nature.
Per Act 700, the jurisdiction of the EAIC in carrying out its primary functions among others, are namely:
Receiving and investigating any public complaints of misconduct
Referring any complaints of a disciplinary nature to the relevant Disciplinary Authority or of a criminal nature to the Public Prosecutor
Carrying out full investigations on valid complaints of misconduct to verify the existence of such misconduct
The supervised federal enforcement agencies as stipulated in Act 700 are:
National Anti-Drugs Agency
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
Department of Environment
Immigration Department of Malaysia
Royal Customs Department of Malaysia
Department of Occupational Safety & Health
National Registration Department
Road Transport Department
Department of Industrial Relations Malaysia
Fisheries Department
Department of Wildlife and National Parks
Volunteers Department of Malaysia (Rela)
Department of Labour
Health Ministry (Enforcement Division)
Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Tourism Licensing Division)
Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Ministry (Enforcement Division)
Housing and Local Government Ministry (Enforcement Division)
Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (Sabah)
Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (Sarawak)
Registrar of Business
Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM)
Note: The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) was removed from the list after the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) came into force in 2023.
According to the latest published data, the EAIC recorded a total of 289 complaints as of July this year.
For 2023 and 2024, a total of 600 and 408 complaints were lodged respectively.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
South Korean court orders arrest of wife of jailed ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol
A South Korean court has ordered the arrest of the wife of jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol as investigators seek to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate. In granting a special prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant close to midnight, the Seoul Central District Court said Kim Keon Hee posed a risk of destroying evidence. The investigation into Ms Kim is one of three special prosecutor inquiries launched under Seoul's new liberal government targeting the presidency of Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his brief imposition of martial law in December. While Yoon's self-inflicted downfall extended a decades-long run of South Korean presidencies ending badly, he and Ms Kim are the first presidential couple to be simultaneously arrested over criminal allegations. Yoon's surprising yet poorly planned power grab on December 3 came amid a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, who he described as 'anti-state' forces abusing their legislative majority to block his agenda. Some political opponents have questioned whether Yoon's actions were at least partly motivated by growing allegations against his wife, which hurt his approval ratings and gave political ammunition to his rivals. Ms Kim did not speak to reporters as she arrived at the Seoul court on Tuesday for an hours-long hearing on the warrant request. She will be held at a detention centre in southern Seoul, separate from the facility holding Yoon. The investigation team led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki, who was appointed in June by new liberal president Lee Jae Myung, questioned Ms Kim for about seven hours on Wednesday last week before deciding to seek her arrest. Ms Kim spoke briefly to reporters as she appeared for last week's questioning, issuing a vague apology for causing public concern but also hinting that she would deny the allegations against her, portraying herself as 'someone insignificant'. Investigators suspect that Ms Kim and Yoon exerted undue influence on the conservative People Power Party to nominate a specific candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election, allegedly at the request of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Mr Myung faces accusations of conducting free opinion surveys for Yoon using manipulated data that possibly helped him win the party's presidential primaries before his election as president. Ms Kim is separately linked to multiple corruption allegations, including claims that she received luxury gifts via a fortune teller acting as an intermediary for a Unification Church official seeking business favours, and possible involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme tied to a local BMW dealership company. While in office, Yoon repeatedly dismissed calls to investigate his wife, denouncing them as baseless political attacks.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
South Korean court orders arrest of wife of jailed ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol
A South Korean court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol as investigators seek to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate. Investigators said the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kim Keon Hee late Tuesday. The investigation into Kim is one of three special prosecutor probes launched under Seoul's new liberal government targeting the presidency of Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his brief imposition of martial law in December. While Yoon's self-inflicted downfall extended a decades-long run of South Korean presidencies ending badly, he and Kim are the first presidential couple to be simultaneously arrested over criminal allegations. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
South Korean court orders arrest of wife of jailed ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol
SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol as investigators seek to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate. In granting a special prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant near midnight, the Seoul Central District Court said Kim Keon Hee poses a risk of destroying evidence. The investigation into Kim is one of three special prosecutor probes launched under Seoul's new liberal government targeting the presidency of Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his brief imposition of martial law in December. While Yoon's self-inflicted downfall extended a decades-long run of South Korean presidencies ending badly , he and Kim are the first presidential couple to be simultaneously arrested over criminal allegations. Yoon's surprising yet poorly planned power grab on Dec. 3 came amid a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, who he described as 'anti-state' forces abusing their legislative majority to block his agenda. Some political opponents have questioned whether Yoon's actions were at least partly motivated by growing allegations against his wife, which hurt his approval ratings and gave political ammunition to his rivals. Kim did not speak to reporters as she arrived at the Seoul court Tuesday for an hours-long hearing on the warrant request. She will be held at a detention center in southern Seoul, separate from the facility holding Yoon. The investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, who was appointed in June by new liberal President Lee Jae Myung, questioned Kim for about seven hours on Wednesday last week before deciding to seek her arrest. Kim spoke briefly to reporters as she appeared for last week's questioning, issuing a vague apology for causing public concern but also hinting that she would deny the allegations against her, portraying herself as 'someone insignificant.' Investigators suspect that Kim and Yoon exerted undue influence on the conservative People Power Party to nominate a specific candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election, allegedly at the request of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Myung faces accusations of conducting free opinion surveys for Yoon using manipulated data that possibly helped him win the party's presidential primaries before his election as president. Kim is separately linked to multiple corruption allegations, including claims that she received luxury gifts via a fortuneteller acting as an intermediary for a Unification Church official seeking business favors, and possible involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme tied to a local BMW dealership company. While in office, Yoon repeatedly dismissed calls to investigate his wife , denouncing them as baseless political attacks.
