Law of Malaysia

Module 8

Criminal justice, dispute resolution and international law: the Penal Code, arrest and trial, sentencing and the death penalty, arbitration and mediation, foreign judgments and awards, and Malaysia in the international legal order

This last module covers three questions a foreigner may face when something goes wrong. What happens if I am arrested or accused? Malaysian criminal law is codified in the Penal Code, which came from the Indian Penal Code, with serious laws on drugs and security, and trial is by judge alone. How do I resolve a business dispute? Malaysia offers arbitration under the Arbitration Act 2005 at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) in Kuala Lumpur, mediation and statutory adjudication, as well as the courts. How do I enforce a foreign judgment or award, and where does Malaysia stand internationally? Malaysia recognises foreign arbitral awards under the New York Convention, enforces judgments of certain countries by registration, treats treaties as needing legislation, and takes part in ASEAN and global trade law. This module ends the course by joining all three questions.

General education on the law of Malaysia, using invented people and businesses. It states laws and procedures in simplified form and is not legal advice. The law and its practice change, and every case turns on its facts, the state and the authority concerned. It does not offer legal representation or a legal opinion on any case. Consult a Malaysian advocate and solicitor for any real matter.

This course was written on 5 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of Malaysia as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.