Almost every other day, we hear stories of violators being fined for not following the set SOPs, and rightfully so.

If only the same punishment was meted out to those holding government positions as well.

Not enough evidence

On Wednesday (19 November), de facto law minister Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan told the parliament that Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali will not be facing any charges for failing to undergo home quarantine after coming back from an overseas trip.

Takiyuddin said that there's just not enough solid evidence to charge Khairuddin for the offence, Malay Mail reported.

Quoting the explanation from Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Idrus Harun, the authorities did not find solid evidence to charge the minister under Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 or Act 342.

"The decision of the Attorney General is in accordance with Clause (3) of Article 145 of the Federal Constitution which provides that the decision to commence, conduct, or terminate any proceedings for an offense is at the discretion of the public prosecutor," Takiyuddin said in a written reply.

On top of that, Takiyuddin mentioned that the police have investigated the case under Act 342 and it has been completed and submitted to the AG's Chambers on 1 October.

"Subsequently, the results of the AG's Chambers from the evidence point of view found that the Minister (Khairuddin) was never issued Form 14b as provided in the guidelines of the Health Ministry which contains an observation or supervision order under subsection 15 (1) of Act 342 for the Minister to undergo quarantine," he was further quoted as saying.

Mohd Khairuddin caused a stir when he appeared in parliament a few days after returning from a trip to Turkey in July, breaking the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all Malaysians who return from abroad.

He was then issued a compound of RM1,000 on 7 August, and he apologised two weeks later for his actions, calling it an oversight.

But here's the question though: if he's already admitted to the crime and paid the fine, aren't those evidence that he did indeed break the law?