RECORDS OF TRAFFIC OFFENDERS

Column: 1159

RECORDS OF TRAFFIC OFFENDERS: The following Question stood in the name of Mr Zainudin Nordin -

3. To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how long are the records of traffic offenders (i) who have not paid their fines and (ii) who are wanted under an arrest warrant stored in his Ministry's databank; and (b) how is it possible that some traffic offenders who surrendered themselves on an arrest warrant and later paid up all their fines, can still be served subsequently with outstanding arrest warrants.

Mr Ahmad Khalis Bin Abdul Ghani (Hong Kah): Question No. 3, Sir.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, any traffic offender who fails to pay a composition fine by the expiry date, as reflected in the Notice of Traffic Offence, will be issued a notice to attend court to answer to the

Column: 1160

charge preferred against him. If he fails to show up in court, a warrant of arrest will then be issued against him. The records of these outstanding fines and warrants are kept by the Traffic Police until they are dealt with.

When a traffic offender surrenders himself to the Traffic Police, the Traffic Police will ensure that all his other outstanding traffic offences are dealt with concurrently. This is so that he will not be unduly inconvenienced. Nonetheless, it is possible that an offender who has paid up his fine for a traffic offence can still be issued a warrant of arrest subsequently. Let me explain.

Take the case of a traffic offender who fails to pay the composition fine by the expiry date and also fails to attend court to answer the charge. The court will then issue a warrant of arrest against him. He subsequently surrenders himself to the Traffic Police and submits an appeal. The Traffic Police, in consultation with the Attorney General's Chambers, decides to re-offer him the option of compounding his traffic offence by paying a fine, which he does. In this case, even though the offender has already paid the composition fine for his traffic offence, he will still be required to attend court to show cause as to why he failed to attend court in the first place. If he fails again to turn up in court, another warrant of arrest will be issued against him.