Legal action possible against cybercriminals abroad, says Zahid
Deputy prime minister says the Cyber Crime Bill 2026 allows the prosecution of overseas cybercrime offenders as though the offences had been committed in Malaysia.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has stated that legal action can be taken against cybercriminals operating abroad if their offenses involve Malaysian systems or Malaysian victims. In a written reply on the Parliament website, Zahid explained that Clause 2 of the Cyber Crime Bill 2026 allows for legal action against offenders abroad as if the offenses had occurred in Malaysia.
He emphasized that the government is utilizing existing international cooperation mechanisms to investigate, prosecute, and potentially extradite foreign-based criminals to Malaysia, should certain requirements be met. This comes in response to questions regarding the adequacy of the existing legal framework in addressing AI-powered online scams, such as identity impersonation, deepfakes, and digital manipulation.
Zahid highlighted that the bill, passed by Parliament in July, aims to repeal the Computer Crimes Act 1997 and address gaps in law, including cross-border cybercrime and the misuse of AI technology. Specifically, Clause 23 expands the scope of offenses involving impersonation through computer systems to counter deepfake threats, which can create convincing fake videos, images, and voices to defraud and deceive the public.
The bill also provides investigative powers in Clauses 38 to 41 to expedite action against cybercrime syndicates, including the power to preserve and disclose data, collect traffic data, and intercept communications, all subject to safeguards. Additionally, Clause 54 empowers courts to issue orders to prevent or stop violations of the law, such as cessation, restitution, compliance, and asset restraint orders, aimed at protecting victims, including dissolving assets obtained from scams.
Zahid concluded by stating that the enforcement of the Cyber Crime Bill 2026 will bolster enforcement agencies with more responsive investigative powers and extraterritorial jurisdiction to combat cybercrime, including AI-enabled online scams.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
