Coroner’s Bill must include independent probe team, says NGO

An NGO is urging the Coroner's Bill to include an independent investigation team to prevent conflicts of interest, especially in deaths in custody cases. M Visvanathan, chairman of Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict), emphasized the necessity of an independent team to ensure transparency. He argued that the police should not be involved in such cases due to the inherent conflict of interest.

Visvanathan, a lawyer, further suggested replacing Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), which governs inquest proceedings, with an entirely new Coroner's Act to strengthen implementation. He also advocated for the draft Bill to be shared with stakeholders for feedback and called for improvements in the appointment process and specialized training for coroners.

Muzaffar Syah Mallow, an academic from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, agreed that a specific law would help regulate investigations into suspicious deaths better. However, he cautioned the government against rushing the process and urged an in-depth study with forensic experts, referring to models in countries like Singapore and the United Kingdom to avoid any gaps.

The proposed Coroner's Bill aims to strengthen Malaysia's investigation system into deaths and restore confidence in the process, expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat next year.