KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is considering using elements of a UK law to manage large-scale corporate cases in Malaysia, says Tan Sri Azam Baki.
The MACC chief commissioner said discussions were underway with the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to assess whether the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) legal framework could be adapted for local use.
“The DPA is about deferring the prosecution based on certain settlements.
“Both MACC and the AGC are looking at all angles. Although we may not adopt it in its entirety, we want to use it as a benchmark, drawing on practices from both the United Kingdom and United States,” he said.
Azam expressed confidence that the move would improve the country’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), stressing the importance of the need for tangible action rather than just words.
“The watchdog is looking at us on what kind of improvement and initiative we are doing and planning to do, as well as our achievements. So we cannot just talk, it must be executed,” he said here yesterday.
Azam said the CPI is based on perceptions, primarily of expatriates and business people.
“We have set up a task force and appointed five consultants who would be responsible to help MACC to learn what is perceived by our respondents, who are from foreign countries,” he said.
The task force comprises representatives from the Accountant-General’s Department, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Companies Commission of Malaysia, Malaysian Institute of Accountants, Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, as well as Multimedia University.
