INTEGRATION OF SYARIAH OFFICERS WITH RBPF SOUGHT

Bandar Seri Begawan, 8 Jumadil Akhir 1435/8 April 2014 (MINA) – The Brunei Ministry of Religious Affairs has proposed the integration of religious enforcement officers into the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) once the Syariah Penal Code Order comes into effect, said a senior Syariah Affairs Department official.

However, Hj Hardifadhillah Hj Md Salleh, head of the Religious Enforcement Division, said the proposal was still under discussion.

Hj Hardifardhillah was responding to a question about the jurisdiction of the RBPF when the Syariah Penal Code is implemented at a briefing on the Islamic criminal law at the police headquarters on Jalan Gadong, The Brunei Times quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

A police officer asked what the RBPF’s responsibilities would be once the Penal Code comes into effect.

Hj Hardifardhillah added that more details would be disclosed at a later date.

“Insya Allah this will be addressed further in our future discussions,” he added during the briefing.

In a brief interview with The Brunei Times, Hj Hardifadhillah said there were currently two governing agencies, the RBPF and Syariah enforcement officials responsible for upholding the Islamic criminal law.

 He said if a case brought to the Syariah court required further investigation, it would be transferred to the police. Depending on how the investigation goes, he said only one agency handles a case at any one time. During the briefing, he further said that criminal investigations must also be Syariah-compliant. However, Hj Hardifadhillah said he was not able to determine how those procedures would go as they were still subject to refinement.

“As long as the Criminal Procedure Code and other procedures complement the Syariah law, it is allowed, and whether we are to create new procedures, or use the existing ones or both, they will be addressed and refined further in our next discussions,” he said. (T/P09/E01).

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).