Latest news with #accountability
Free Malaysia Today
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Zaid lists prosecutorial reforms needed after Najib's latest DNAA
Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said public fatigue over flawed prosecutions is reaching a tipping point. PETALING JAYA : Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has outlined several proposed reforms to keep the Attorney-General's Chambers accountable, after Najib Razak's discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in his SRC International Sdn Bhd money laundering case. Zaid said the AGC has operated without being held accountable for too long, necessitating reforms to be undertaken as Malaysians become disillusioned. 'Public fatigue over flawed prosecutions is reaching a tipping point. Malaysians are watching and they are angry,' the former Kota Bharu MP said in a post on X. Zaid called again for the separation of the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor to be expedited to ensure the public prosecutor's independence in upholding justice. He also suggested the establishment of a prosecution oversight commission, specifically to review decisions not to prosecute cases of public interest and to recommend referrals for judicial review. He proposed that a prosecution code of ethics be enacted to make it mandatory for prosecutors to always disclose all exculpatory evidence and provide written justifications for DNAAs, NFAs (no further action) and plea bargains. This is also aimed at excluding any political influence in charging any individual of an offence. Zaid called for the AGC to be required to table annual reports on the statistics of DNAAs and NFAs as well as prosecution outcomes in Parliament, and for a select committee to oversee prosecutorial conduct. He also suggested that senior prosecutors, like judges, be appointed to fixed terms to ensure that their tenures are protected from arbitrary removal. He called for whistleblower protection laws to be reviewed to allow for disclosures to be made even if involving classified information, as long as done in public interest and good faith. Zaid said Perikatan Nasional should champion these reforms if it wanted to gain public support, instead of simply touting slogans on reforms. 'A credible, ironclad promise to clean up the prosecution – with independent oversight, transparent rules, and professional integrity – would strike a powerful chord among the rakyat,' he said. This morning, Najib was granted a DNAA in his RM27 million SRC money laundering case after the High Court found that the prosecution was not ready to proceed with the trial. Justice K Muniandy said no witness testimony had been pursued since the case was brought against Najib in 2019, only a plethora of postponements, indicating that the prosecution was not ready to prosecute the case. Najib is currently serving his reduced six-year prison term for abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving RM42 million in SRC funds. In November, Najib and former Treasury secretary-general Irwan Serigar Abdullah were granted a DNAA in their International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) case.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kim Kardashian & ChatGPT Get Chatting In Supportive Text Exchange
got real in a supportive ChatGPT text exchange about 'taking accountability' and shared it on Instagram. The reality star took to her Instagram Stories to offer a glimpse of her recent conversation with the AI chatbot and appeared appreciative of the intellectual flexibility. The chat started with Kardashian thanking the OpenAI-developed program for accepting responsibility. Kim Kardashian shared a snippet of her honest and realistic text messages with ChatGPT via her latest Instagram Stories. She beamed with admiration toward the AI chatbot for being answerable, although the reason for it remained unclear. 'Thanks for taking accountability,' Kardashian wrote in the exchange, admitting that it was a huge deal to her and spoke volumes. The program promptly returned the sentiment with equal warmth and gratitude for the SKIMS' founder's acknowledgement. 'I really appreciate you saying that,' the chatbot wrote, explaining how much it meant 'coming from someone who clearly values accuracy and rigor.' It further promised to continue 'raising my game to meet your standards.' In the same text, ChatGPT assured Kardashian about being 'here for it' in case of any doubts or if she ever wants a 'deeper dive on anything.' She replied with a plain, 'Thanks dude,' prompting a response with a similar heartfelt thanks. 'Anytime – you got it, dude,' the program wrote, adding, 'Let's crush the next one.' Chatting it up with ChatGPT wasn't the only thing Kardashian was busy with in the past couple of days. She has been in a mood to let loose and recently celebrated her eldest daughter, North West's 12th birthday. The mother-daughter duo partied it up with friends on a yacht on an expensive trip to Los Cabos, Mexico. The mom of four even marked the milestone, sharing North's adorable throwback photos from when she was just a baby. Originally reported by Nikita Mahato on Reality Tea. The post Kim Kardashian & ChatGPT Get Chatting In Supportive Text Exchange appeared first on Mandatory.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Fowlerville police ID driver who drove through cemetery, damaging WW II-era headstones
The Fowlerville Police Department has identified the individual responsible for driving through Greenwood Cemetery in mid-June and damaging nearly 20 headstones. Fowlerville police responded the weekend of June 14-15 'to an incident that has continued to generate a lot of phone calls, concern and heartbreak across the community,' according to a post on the department's Facebook page. The driver traveled went off the roadway at high speed and drove through the local cemetery at 4350 Cemetery Road. The incident caused thousands of dollars in damage to city property and nearly 20 headstones, some dating back to World War II, police said. Many of the markers "were historic and irreplaceable,' according to police. The driver 'made a reckless and incredibly poor decision to get behind the wheel,' police wrote. "(It's a) heartbreaking reminder of the damage one bad decision can cause.' Police have not identified the driver, but said "appropriate actions are being taken." 'We understand how upsetting and emotional this is for many, and we share your anger and sadness,' police wrote. 'Our department is committed to seeing this through and ensuring accountability for this senseless act. Thank you to everyone who reached out with information and support.' — Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@ Follow him on X @SalsaEvan. This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Fowlerville police ID driver who drove through, damaged cemetery
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Watchdog may compel Peter McVerry Trust to come before it amid growing anger over finances
The Dáil's most powerful public spending watchdog will consider compelling the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) to appear before it to answer questions about its €15 million State bailout . Sinn Féin TD John Brady, who is chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), expressed 'dissatisfaction and anger' towards the housing charity which has now twice refused to appear before the committee. Mr Brady said the PAC would now consider 'what options are open to us at this point', which could include compelling the trust to appear. At a meeting in public session on Thursday morning, a number of cross-party TDs expressed anger at the PMT for refusing to answer questions about its financial troubles. It came after serious governance failings by the trust came to light in investigations by two State regulators. READ MORE The trust has so far failed to file its company accounts for 2023. In early 2024, it told the PAC it could not appear before it due to ongoing investigations. In a letter to the PAC this week, the trust again refused to make itself available for public questioning, claiming it was not in a position to attend 'at this time'. 'There's a real level of dissatisfaction and anger here by members, and I include myself in that,' Mr Brady said. He added that he was also aware of attempts over the last year by the Oireachtas housing committee to invite PMVT to appear before it. Mr Brady said the trust had received 'huge' sums of public funding and 'there needs to be accountability'. 'I propose that we write immediately to PMVT imploring them to come in at the earliest opportunity,' Mr Brady said. He said PAC will be seeking guidance from the Oireachtas standing orders committee to see what options it had to expand its remit and bring PMVT before it. 'It is deeply unsatisfactory and disheartening, as members said, when an organisation such as PMVT does not actually take cognisance of the last word in that – trust,' he said. 'Public trust is foremost here and people cannot have trust in how public money is being spent and the governance around that. I think that is deeply concerning.' PMVT said in a statement: 'At this time, PMVT is not in a position to take part in the committee's meeting. We are currently awaiting the completion of our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31st, 2023. 'Once these audited accounts are available, they will be published and we will share relevant information with our stakeholders and the public as appropriate, including making representatives available for the appropriate Oireachtas committee in due course.'
Washington Post
a day ago
- Washington Post
Parsing ICE's mixed-up, hard-to-believe assault claims
Last month, I wrote a column questioning why Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were increasingly disguising their identities as they conducted sweeps and arrests. One obvious answer was that they hoped to avoid accountability for their actions, making it harder to say precisely who had plucked up a college student or local mother and sent them to jail in another state pending deportation.
