MCO offenders' imprisonment issue to be discussed soon - Ismail Sabri

The imprisonment of those violating the Movement Control Order (MCO) issue will be discussed between the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Prison Department soon.

Senior Minister (Security), Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, the decision was made during the Special Ministerial Committee on MCO’s meeting today.

“We agreed that the issue should be resolved as soon as possible,” he said after chairing the meeting here.

The Prison Department in a statement yesterday asked the court to stop sending MCO offenders to jail as it would only overcrowd the prisons as well as causing the spread of COVID-19 in the facilities.

Today, Chief Justice, Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in a statement urged judges to consider the risk of the spread of COVID-19 if MCO offenders were sent to jail.

She was quoted as suggesting the offenders be sentenced to perform community service.

Meanwhile, on vagrants issue in the capital, Ismail Sabri said they had been placed in three locations under Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s supervision.

It is not true that they are still wandering around in the capital as alleged by certain quarters as the government has placed them in certain locations as part of the efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, he said.

It was reported before that the homeless people in the capital would be placed at three National Service Training Programme camps, namely in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Semenyih and Sepang during the duration of the MCO.

Replying to a question on perishable goods supply at three locations under the Enhanced MCO (EMCO), Ismail Sabri said the authorities have set up a few stations for residents to inform officers of items that they need.

Currently, there are three locations that are under the EMCO, namely Batu 21 to Batu 24 in Hulu Langat, Selangor; Menara City One in Kuala Lumpur; and Kampung Datuk Ibrahim Majid and Bandar Baharu Datuk Ibrahim Majid in Simpang Renggam, Johor. - BERNAMA