KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 ― The British Court will be the final arbiter in any bid by the Malaysian authorities to extradite Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown, who is wanted here for allegedly publishing false information, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said.

Noor Rashid said although Malaysia has an extradition treaty with the United Kingdom (UK), there are still certain legal processes that must be satisfied in accordance with the British legal system before Rewcastle-Brown can be brought here.

“We have to apply through the process for extradition since we are party to that, and of course, in the course of it, they will ask us to present whatever evidence we have and it is up to them to extradite her or not,” he told a press conference today in the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman.

Noor Rashid explained that an inquiry will first take place in the UK to determine the merits of Malaysia’s request to extradite Rewcastle-Brown.

“There will be an inquiry first, before their judge decides whether to release her or not,” he said.

He said the Malaysian police are currently preparing the case and are determined to have London-based Rewcastle-Brown flown back to Malaysia to face possible charges under the Penal Code.

CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh said Tuesday the arrest warrant for Rewcastle-Brown, granted by a court here, was for offences under Sections 124B and 124I of the Penal Code.

He added that Rewcastle-Brown will also be placed on the Aseanapol wanted list as well as the Interpol red notice.

Section 124B, which covers activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy, stipulates that those convicted under the law will be liable to a maximum prison term of 20 years.

Section 124I, on the other hand, states that “any person who, by word of mouth or in writing or in any newspaper, periodical, book, circular, or other printed publication or by any other means including electronic means spreads false reports or makes false statements likely to cause public alarm, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years.”

The Sarawak-born Rewcastle-Brown has been accused of colluding with several opposition lawmakers here in a conspiracy to unseat Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak by using the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.

Her whistleblower site SR has published numerous incriminating documents on the troubled state investor but these were recently cast in doubt when a man claiming to be Rewcastle-Brown's former associate said in a video confession that they were doctored.

Rewcastle-Brown has denied the allegation and stood by SR’s reports, however, even saying recently that she is considering taking legal action against her accusers.

Police have been investigating SR over its extensive coverage of 1MDB while local Internet regulators last month decided to block access to the site in Malaysia.

Last week, however, SR published what it claimed was a draft document containing corruption charges against the prime minister and one other person connected to the 1MDB scandal.

According to the site, the charge sheet was in the final stages of preparation by Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail before he was removed from the post of Attorney-General.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has also issued a statement denying the existence of such a draft charge sheet. Several MACC officers have since been questioned on the matter.