KUCHING: Attorney-General Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar announced today that the Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) is reviewing the need to establish an Appellate and Trial Division Unit in Sarawak and Sabah to handle criminal appeals.
He said the unit would be staffed by experienced and highly skilled deputy public prosecutors,
taking into account all relevant factors.
"We also hope that in the coming year, prosecutors will engage in lifelong learning by attending
workshops, embracing new experiences and new technologies," he said at the opening of the Legal Year for Sarawak and Sabah 2025.
He also said he expects the full implementation of the e-Daftar system in Sabah and Sarawak to ensure the smooth registration of investigation papers referred by all enforcement agencies to the A-GC.
He added that the A-GC will relocate and upgrade seven district prosecutor offices including in Lahad Datu, Sabah, as an initiative to provide a convenient working environment for officers across the states.
Dusuki also said that the A-GC has disposed of all 1,056 nationwide applications fixed in the Federal Court since the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023 came into effect on Sept 12, 2023.
He said that over the past year, the A-GC has witnessed significant developments in the legal landscape, from advancements in technology and digital justice to the continuous efforts to improve access to legal services.
"We have shown resilience in adapting to the evolving needs of our society," he said, adding that the shift towards digital platforms has enabled the A-GC to continue serving the public while maintaining the integrity and accessibility of the judicial process.
He said the A-GC, in alignment with the Government Digital Transformation's directive, has developed an online system known as "Modul Daftar Kertas Siasatan" (e-Daftar) and "Modul e-Representasi" (e-Rep).
"Apart from being environmentally friendly due to the paperless approach, digital case management systems allow for efficient tracking of cases, from the initial investigation to the final verdict.
"These systems are equipped with alert features which will notify users through email should the time allocated for specific actions be about to lapse or expire," Dusuki said, adding that the systems can reduce the time and resources required to manage large volumes of criminal cases, allowing prosecutors to focus on the substantive aspects.
He said the e-Daftar system has recorded 455,170 investigation papers and is currently being used in 10 States, 161 agencies and by 391 deputy public prosecutors.
"The e-Rep will replace the manual process for handling representations submitted by lawyers. They will be automatically notified through emails, and the status of representations can be checked online," Dusuki said.