KOTA KINABALU: Civil servants in Sabah who blow the whistle on corruption and help bring offenders to justice can walk away with cash rewards matching the bribe amount reported.
Sabah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director Datuk Karunanithy Y. Subbiah said the initiative aligns with state policy since 2011 to boost integrity and courage within the public service.
“If a civil servant reports a corruption case, whether a bribe was offered or received, and it leads to prosecution, the case will be reviewed by a state committee to determine the reward amount,” he said after attending an integrity seminar for public sector personnel yesterday.
“The reward is usually on a ringgit-for-ringgit basis. For example, if a civil servant is offered RM10,000 and reports it, then the same amount would be recommended as the reward.”
He added that this committee is chaired by him, alongside representatives from the National Audit Department and the Sabah Civil Service Department.
For small bribe offers as low as RM100, the minimum reward considered is RM500, he said.
Beyond cash, whistleblowers also receive an official certificate of appreciation as a token of recognition for upholding integrity in the public sector.
However, Karunanithy stressed that the scheme only applies to civil servants who are offered bribes and formally report them to the MACC, not those acting as public whistleblowers.
In 2023 alone, RM54,850 in rewards was disbursed to civil servants in Sabah.
Out of that, RM52,850 went to police personnel and RM2,000 to immigration personnel, said Karunanithy.
