KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 — Offenders sentenced to compulsory attendance during the enforcement of the Emergency Ordinances will still have to serve their time until the completion of their sentence, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Mohamed Said said.
This is in line with Article 150 of the Federal Constitution, he said when winding up the debate on the motion to revoke the Emergency Ordinances for the Home Ministry at Dewan Rakyat today.
The Emergency (Offenders Compulsory Attendance) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, introduces an amendment to Section 5 of the Offenders Compulsory Attendance Act 1954, which states that the court may, instead of such sentence or committal, make a compulsory attendance order requiring a person to attend daily at a centre where they will undertake compulsory work for a period not exceeding 12 months and for such number of hours each day not exceeding four as may be specified in such an order.
Prior to the introduction of the amendment, only those facing three months’ imprisonment were eligible for the compulsory attendance order.
Meanwhile, Ismail said apart from the amendment, 10 satellite prisons had also been set up by taking over the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) camps to avoid congestion in prison in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. — Bernama
