‘Move deferred due to unavoidable circumstances’

Rabiatul Kamit and Quratul-Ain Bandial
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE implementation of the Syariah Penal Code Order has been “deferred” from April 22 to a later date “due to unavoidable circumstances“, said the assistant director of the Islamic Legal Unit yesterday.

While delivering a briefing on the new legislation to the Malaysian expatriate community, Dk Hjh Jauyah Pg Hj Mohd Zaini said the enforcement is slated to take place “in the very near future.”

However, the official date for the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code Order was not disclosed. The assistant director added that the deferment was a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office. “April 22 was only a tentative date.

The Syariah Penal Code Order will not be enforced on that day, but sometime in the very near future,” she said. During a session of the Legislative Council in March, Minister of Religious Affairs Pg Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad Pg Hj Abd Rahman said the first phase of the Order will be enforced six months after the legislation was gazetted by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam on October 22, 2013.

The second phase - which covers the enforcement of corporal punishment - will come into force 12 months after the Syariah Courts Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) is gazetted.

The third phase - which covers the enforcement of the death penalty - will begin 24 months after the CPC.

A draft of the CPC - which outlines how law enforcement should conduct investigation and prosecution - is still being finalised by the Brunei Islamic Religious Council.

The law states that the Syariah Penal Code Order shall apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims, except where expressly provided.

The Brunei Times sought clarification from government officials regarding the exact date of implementation of the Order, but no response was received.


Sumber - The Brunei Times