KUALA LUMPUR: The power to dismiss charges against any individual in the country rests with the Attorney-General (AG).
Commenting on Vietnam’s call to free a Vietnamese woman accused in the murder of North Korean Kim Jong-Nam, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said such was the authority vested in the AG as provided under the Federal Constitution.
“In this matter, we understand that the authority belongs to the AG, as provided under the Constitution,” he said at the Parliament lobby, here, today.
“The AG has the power to dismiss any charges against any individual in this country, even if the proceeding for the said case is still ongoing.
“The government will not interfere with the decisions made by the AG.”
It was reported on Tuesday that Vietnam had called on Malaysia to release Doan Thi Huong who is charged with the murder of Jong-Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh had made the request during a telephone call with his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
Huong’s co-defendant, Indonesian Siti Aisyah, was freed on Monday after the charge against her was withdrawn.
Huong and Aisyah were charged with poisoning Jong-Nam with liquid VX at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) in February 2017.