KUALA LUMPUR: Political parties should be compelled to use only their official bank accounts to check abuse of funds, according to the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board.
In its report submitted to the Parliamentary Special Committee on Corruption, the board called for political funds at federal and state levels to be channelled directly into official bank accounts.
“This will enable accurate annual auditing and indirectly check abuse of funds for personal interest,” the board said, adding that several laws needed to be amended for the proposal to be implemented.
It made five recommendations, all of which have been agreed to in principle by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
The board yesterday also proposed the setting up of a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Services Commission empowered to hire and fire officers and staff of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The Federal Constitution will have to be amended to empower the commission to recruit, appoint, promote and sack MACC personnel.
The board proposed that the MACC chief commissioner be put on par with the Accountant-General, Auditor-General and judges, all of whom are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
It also wants the chief commissioner to have full access to the statutory accounts related to the declaration of assets by the members of the federal administration and their families.
The board suggested that MACC recruit 150 people a year until the allotted 5,000 positions are filled.
It called for immediate action to increase the pool of investigators and deputy public prosecutors in MACC. Of the 1,760 jobs approved last year, 1,541 positions have been filled.
The Parliamentary Special Committee on Corruption also received the 168-page MACC annual report.
PSC chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the report would only be tabled and debated in the next session of Parliament.
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