KUALA LUMPUR: More than RM6bil worth of funds have been seized, frozen and forfeited by graft busters so far this year.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said action was taken under various laws, including the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA), as of Nov 30.
“A total of RM6.25bil was seized, with RM566.77mil seized under the MACC Act 2009 and some RM36.13mil frozen under AMLATFPUAA.
“Asset forfeiture amounted to RM7.14mil under the MACC Act 2009 and RM350,000 under other laws, while compounds issued reached RM49.5mil,” the commission said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 24).
In addition, asset recovery through other legal mechanisms reached RM1.49bil.
"We opened 966 investigation papers this year, resulting in 1,128 individuals being detained.
"A total of 445 individuals have been charged, of which 189 were convicted," the commission added.
Of those arrested, 423 were civil servants, 504 were from the private sector, 163 were members of the public, 34 were from government-linked companies (GLCs), and 4 were politicians.
Among the major cases highlighted was the investigation involving former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
"On March 3, more than RM169mil in various currencies and 16kg of gold bars were seized from a safehouse linked to corruption and money laundering probes.
"On Oct 1, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court allowed the seized funds to be forfeited to the government after no claims were made," the MACC said.
Another major operation was Ops Rentas, which targeted corruption among enforcement officers allegedly involved in counter-setting activities at international entry points
"(Ops Rentas) was conducted on Sept 10 in Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Selangor, leading to the arrest of 27 individuals, including 18 enforcement officers.
"57 bank accounts involving about RM2.7mil were frozen while assets including jewellery, gold bars, luxury items, vehicles and more than RM200,000 in cash were seized," it added.
Meanwhile, the MACC said 49 individuals, including serving and former banking officers, were charged in stages between Nov 7 and Nov 26 at the Shah Alam Sessions Court following Ops Tiger.
"The suspects were accused under Section 16(a) of the MACC Act 2009 of receiving bribes from law firms in exchange for recommending them as housing loan documentation providers," the commission said.
Other major operations include Ops Metal, in which a scrap metal smuggling syndicate was dismantled; Ops Karen, targeting diesel smuggling activities; Ops Grip, which busted a large-scale tyre smuggling syndicate; and Ops Sky, targeting those accepting bribes from financial consultant firms involved in personal loan fraud syndicates.
