KOTA KINABALU: More “safe houses” and money linked to a politician are in the sight of graft busters, who have already launched a probe on the key political figure for alleged corruption.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said his officers also plan to call up the said politician for his statement once sufficient evidence has been collected.
The top graft buster was tight-lipped when asked if the individual is currently in government and if there are more politicians involved.
“Those details will not be revealed for now,” he told reporters after officiating an integrity convention yesterday.
Azam said the commission uncovered two more “safe houses” and seized RM321,000 in foreign and local currency in a raid on Sunday.
Graft investigators had earlier discovered about RM5mil in foreign currency when they raided an apartment said to be the politician’s safe house in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday,
Investigations to-date found that these houses and money are believed linked to alleged bribes in a sand-mining concession in Selangor.
“We have also received information that some money has been invested in Singapore and there may be other accounts in different banks,” he said.
The top graft buster also did not rule out more arrests in connection with the investigation, with four individuals – three men and a woman – taken into custody to-date.
“But things will have to be done one step at a time, one person at a time. After we get the first suspect and have an admission, then we proceed to the next.
'We must investigate one by one,” he said.
The raid on “safe houses” came about after two individuals, including a former senior executive of Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated, was detained over bribes in connection with a sand-mining concession.
Sources said both suspects are believed to have links to a high-profile politician, who previously had wide influence in Selangor.
Earlier at the event, Azam said the MACC had agreed to place its officer at the Sabah Chief Minister’s Office as an integrity adviser.
“This is part of an ongoing commitment between the MACC and the Sabah government in strengthening anti-graft initiatives in the state,” he said.
Azam also called on politicians, officials and personnel from government and the private sector to strive towards achieving a good Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score.
The CPI is to measure the level of corrupt practices in a country, with Malaysia currently listed number 57 out of 180 countries surveyed.
