New centre to fight corruption

KUALA LUMPUR, 21 Mei -- Bekas Ketua Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed merupakan anggota Pasukan Khas Siasatan 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dibentuk bagi menjalankan siasatan terperinci berkaitan kes syarikat pembangunan strategik itu.--fotoBERNAMA (2018) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA

PUTRAJAYA: Existing agencies looking into governance, integrity and anti-corruption may be restructured or disbanded following the setting up of a centre to oversee these areas in the administration.

The National Centre for Gover­nance, Integrity and Anti-Corrup­tion (GIACC) has been set up by the Pakatan Harapan Government to realise its election pledges on these issues.

A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)said the scope of the centre would not overlap that of existing agencies.

“In fact, the agencies will either be restructured to be more effective or be disbanded,” the statement said, although it did not name the agencies involved.

The PMO also said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had agreed to appoint former top anti-graft buster Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed (pic), who is highly experienced in these areas both locally and internationally, to lead the new set-up.

Abu Kassim, 57, who was formerly the chief commissioner of the Mal­ay­sian Anti-Corrup­tion Commission (MACC), is a member of the 1MDB special task force and a teaching staff at the Inter­national Anti-Corruption Academy in Austria.

Having served the anti-corruption body since 1984, Abu Kassim rose through the ranks and held the highest post in MACC when he was appointed chief commissioner in January 2010.

He held the post until August 2016.

Abu Kassim could not be reached for comment on his new role.

The PMO said among the first tasks for GIACC was to look at how the Government could meet its election pledges on the issues of governance, integrity and anti-corruption.

On top of this, a special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption would also be set up.