e-Jamin: Why is the bail system under scrutiny?
KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found that the e-Jamin system had operated for five years without a formal government contract and raised concerns about the handling of bail deposits, including funds held in the operator’s commercial accounts.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised concerns over the e-Jamin electronic bail payment system, which has been in operation for five years without a formal government contract. The system allows bailors to pay bail online through internet banking, with funds typically held in the operator's commercial accounts rather than the government's Consolidated Trust Account.
This has led to concerns about the handling of bail deposits, which as of December 31, 2024, amounted to RM193.71 million, with RM130.8 million invested under the operator's name and generating annual interest of between RM4 million and RM5 million. The PAC also noted the absence of a trustee arrangement, performance bond, and insurance, as well as an unreconciled difference of RM557,258 between system records and the operator's bank statements.
The system was introduced in January 2020 to speed up the bail release process, but the PAC's report highlights issues that warrant scrutiny.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
