Asian Legal Review

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency on Friday detained a former senior aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for further investigation amid bribery allegations.
Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, who resigned as Anwar’s senior political secretary this week, was held after being questioned by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, Chief Commissioner Azam Baki said.
MACC will apply for a court order on Saturday to extend Shamsul Iskandar’s detention beyond 24 hours, Azam said in a…

The UK’s Employment Rights Bill (ERB) will introduce significant changes to the relationship between staff, employers and trade unions.

The UK’s ambitions for growing offshore renewables generation and implementing carbon capture storage solutions will be hampered without further support for the North Sea oil and gas industry, an expert has warned.

Mounting corruption scandals and an impeachment push have prompted calls for the Philippine president and vice-president to resign, with legal experts saying a little-known constitutional clause provides for a snap election to be called if the roles are vacated at the same time.
A growing chorus from civil society groups and politicians is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio to step down, with Marcos accused by a political veteran of playing a leading…

The Myanmar junta’s highly publicised crackdown on cyberfraud hubs near its borders is less a law enforcement statement than a calculated performance, analysts say, aimed at placating China and shoring up credibility ahead of an election widely seen as illegitimate.
Observers said the operation reflected the military’s need to project control in the face of domestic insurgency and foreign pressure, particularly from Beijing, whose citizens have been both victims and conscripts in the sprawling…

A recent decision by the Supreme Court of New South Wales (NSW) confirms that a person exercising ultimate authority over a company holds the responsibilities of a director, even if they are not listed as one on the corporate regulator’s records.

The dust has yet to settle despite the conclusion of the 47th Asean Summit under Malaysia, which remains the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the remainder of the year.
There are two main takeaways from the Kuala Lumpur meetings. First, by most objective measures, Malaysia has successfully pulled off not only the summit but its year-long chairmanship, steering several initiatives long in the making past the finish line.
One of the most consequential is the formal admission…

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is urging Donald Trump’s administration to reject Myanmar’s “sham” elections next month, days after the administration cited the country’s electoral progress as grounds to remove legal protections for Myanmar nationals in the US.
“Burma’s planned elections this December are proving to be a sham,” said Representatives Brian Mast and Gregory Meeks and Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen on Wednesday, using the former name for the war-torn country.
“Orchestrated…

Calls by an independent review for a ‘radical reset’ of Britain’s approach to nuclear regulation after a relative decline in the country’s ability to build projects on time and on budget will be welcomed by the industry, according to an expert.

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta has banned the selling and consumption of dog, cat and bat meat to prevent rabies transmission, the city’s governor announced on Tuesday, in a win for animal rights advocates.
“I have signed the regulation … which prohibits the sale of rabies-transmitting animals for food purposes,” Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said in a statement on social media, a month after promising to do so.
The regulation, which Pramono said he signed on Monday, provides a six-month grace…