PUTRAJAYA: The country has suffered revenue leakages amounting to RM277bil over the past six years, largely due to corruption involving collusion between parties managing public funds and those vying for government contracts.
“One of the main issues contributing to leakages is related to the procurement of government funds, particularly tenders for projects.
“They compete fiercely for these tenders not only at the government level but also in government-linked companies (GLCs),” Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said during a special session with the media at MACC’s headquarters on Tuesday.
Azam said that the staggering losses could have been channelled into public development. Instead, corruption inflated project costs and reduced government revenue collection.
“To cover up illicit payments, project costs are raised, sometimes by as much as 10% to 15%. Ultimately, the people bear the burden,” he added.
He stressed that transparency remains a critical issue, pointing out that corruption also leads to revenue loss from taxes, licences and other forms of collections.
“Due to corruption, some turn a blind eye to revenue collection. This happens at border checkpoints and even among those entrusted with collecting government income,” he said.
Azam said the MACC continues to strengthen both its preventive and enforcement measures to curb leakages.
From January to July this year, the commission opened 728 investigation papers, 109 of which were classified as high-profile, public interest or sensitive cases.
“Of the total, 280 cases involved the private sector, followed by federal government agencies (198), the public (104), state governments (95), statutory bodies (38), GLCs and politicians (13).
“The most common offence recorded was false claims with 251 cases, followed by receiving bribes (239), abuse of position (89), money laundering (54) and giving bribes (47),” he said.
During the same period, 906 individuals were arrested, of whom 308 were charged in court and 135 were convicted, he said.
The MACC also seized RM6.81bil under the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA).
“An additional RM5.7mil was frozen and forfeited,” he added.
Meanwhile, Azam said the Keep Malaysia Clean (KMC) programme, a new initiative aimed at ushering in a fresh phase in the nation’s fight against corruption, will be launched in conjunction with MACC’s 58th anniversary on Oct 1.
The programme, to be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, will serve as the graft busters’ latest action plan to strengthen its strategic approach in combating corruption.
Azam said the KMC is designed to instil values of integrity, civic responsibility and institutional accountability across all sectors.
“This approach is similar to what we are already doing, but this time it is more strategic, focused and will have a real impact in terms of enforcement and education,” he added.
Azam said the initiative is aimed at a wide range of groups, including civil servants, students, university undergraduates, local communities, business leaders and the public.
“The Education Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry will also be supporting the campaign to ensure it reaches the younger generation, from preschool pupils to university students.
“This will allow us to implement clearer programmes aligned with our aspiration to free the country from corruption and abuse of power, while promoting integrity.
“KMC will introduce more strategic, effective and impactful measures that must be embraced by all parties as part of our national aspiration to build a corruption-free Malaysia,” he said.
In conjunction with MACC’s anniversary, Azam expressed hope that KMC would mark the starting point of a large-scale movement to build a Malaysia that is truly free from corruption.
Meanwhile, MACC will also host the 21st Asean Parties Against Corruption (Asean-PAC) meeting from Oct 28 to 30, Azam said.
“The meeting will gather anti-graft chiefs from 10 Asean member states, with Timor-Leste participating as an observer, alongside international organisations.
“The theme this year is ‘Strengthening Asean Unity: Public-Private Partnership to Combat Corruption’, which highlights the importance of fostering regional cooperation and smart partnerships between the public and private sectors in the fight against corruption.”
