Malaysia and the United States will sign a pact that will help both countries carry out criminal investigations to combat crimes such as terrorism and corruption.

Malaysian Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail told AFP today that the "mutual legal assistance treaty" allows Kuala Lumpur and Washington to collect relevant evidence in criminal matters.

"The treaty allows both parties to render one another assistance in connection with criminal investigations," he said.

"It will help us to gather evidence and help secure the conviction of criminals," Abdul Gani said.

Major concern

The treaty is to be signed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar later today on the sidelines of a regional security meeting.

"It covers everything under the sky from fighting corruption, terrorism and people smuggling," Abdul Gani said, describing the pact as a "milestone in our efforts to eradicate crime".

"Criminal activities are not localised anymore. They are becoming more cross-boundary, and that is our major concern," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency recently.