Mps Can Still Be Probed Under Osa For Citing Secrets In Parliament

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PARLIAMENT | Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Ramli Nor has warned an opposition MP that he still risks being investigated under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for citing a confidential document in the august house.
This came in response to Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) submitting a motion yesterday, seeking to cite Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Na'im Mokhtar for misleading the Dewan Rakyat over the Tabung Haji (TH) issue.
According to Marzuk, he had received a secret document that allegedly contradicts the information that Na’im provided on the costs behind a TH rebranding exercise.
Ramli (above) said that while Article 63 of the Federal Constitution provides immunity for MPs from legal proceedings, police could still initiate a probe if they receive a report.
ADS"... whatever we say here (in the Dewan Rakyat) will be televised live.
"So if authorities receive a first information report, they will initiate an investigation. I am talking based on my 34 years of experience as a police investigator.
"I can guarantee that Pengkalan Chepa (Marzuk) will be summoned by the police and asked where you got the document," the deputy speaker said.
Be cautious
Ramli further advised Marzuk to exercise caution if he plans to cite the secret document in the Dewan Rakyat.
Pengkalan Chepa MP Ahmad Marzuk ShaaryThis is especially because under Section 16 of OSA, the burden of proof is shifted to an accused to prove his innocence, he added.
"So, with regard to the motion that you submitted, you might want to be careful if you want to play with documents that are under OSA."
During a speech in the Dewan Rakyat last week, Na'im had reiterated TH’s statement, which denied claims that it set aside some RM20 million to be spent on a rebranding exercise for the pilgrim fund.
Citing the statement, the minister said the exercise was valued at RM5.9 million.
However, Marzuk yesterday told the august house that the document he received allegedly shows the amount involved was RM18 million. - Mkini

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