Professional Traits of Forensic Investigators in Investigation Process Expedition: Malaysian Evidence

Financial crimes have become dominant in the contemporary business environment. It is one of the most serious crimes endangering the national security and public safety of a country. It is directly associated with legal, social, human rights, political and development issues. This research provides a descriptive analysis of the professional traits of a forensic investigator in the investigation process expedition based on Malaysian evidence. Data for this study is collected through a questionnaire survey. A sample was driven from two enforcement agencies in Malaysia which are National Audit Department (NAD) and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Based on the descriptive statistic, Skills of Forensic Investigator question, “Critical thinking: the ability to differentiate between opinion and fact” scored the highest mean of 4.76. It implies that on average, that by having critical thinking skills the forensic investigator has the ability to differentiate between the opinion and facts of the fraudster. Next,  Investigative Techniques of Forensic Investigator question, “Interviewing and Interrogation: An investigator needs to understand the subject’s intention, effective inquiry, techniques of ethical and legal aspect in obtaining information” scored the highest mean of 4.80. It shows that on average, the respondents agreed that interviewing and interrogation technique will help in understanding the subject matter and thus expedite the investigation process. Lastly, Knowledge of Forensic Investigator question, “Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001: Act enacted dealing with money laundering and anti-terrorism financing” scored the highest mean of 4.77. The respondents agreed that having knowledge of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 will eventually help in the expediting investigation process. As a conclusion, the professional traits of a forensic investigator can aid the government to combat financial crimes. These include skills, investigation technique and knowledge of the forensic investigator. Hence, this research provides insight for the Malaysian government on the importance of forensic investigator professional traits in expediting the investigation process.