Unshackling the Prosecutor: A Comparative Analysis of Prosecutoral Independence and Reform in Malaysia, England and Wales and India

The institutional integration of state legal counselling and public criminal prosecution into the single office of the Malaysian Attorney-General (AG) has long constituted a profound structural vulnerability. Entrenched under Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution, this dual mandate created an inherent conflict of interest that systematically undermined public confidence in the administration of justice. In light of the recent historic passage of the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2026, this paper examines the procedural, constitutional, and structural implications of decoupling these legal roles. Utilising a comparative legal methodology, this study analyses the functional firewall of England and Wales's bifurcated executive model and the rigid structural separation in India's decentralised prosecution system to identify institutional mechanisms that prevent executive overreach. It highlights how the active 2026 reforms successfully address previous systemic gaps by establishing an independent Office of the Public Prosecutor under a new Article 145A. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates how Malaysia's legal transformation operationalises a multi-layered, merit-based appointment framework, guarantees tenure security, provides financial autonomy, and mandates parliamentary accountability, thereby shifting the domestic reform trajectory from initial policy advocacy to subsequent statutory implementation and institutional safeguarding.

Separation of Powers, Attorney-General, Public Prosecutor, Malaysia, Constitutional Reform, Comparative Jurisprudence.

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