KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry will stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to stamp out corruption and abuse of power within the ministry and the Armed Forces, says Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
“We have opened the ministry to the MACC, and I personally met the Chief Commissioner last week,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during a ministerial briefing on recent Armed Forces scandals.
He stressed that criminal acts involving integrity and morality, particularly corruption and abuse of power, are serious threats to national security.
He said all officers, regardless of rank, would be held accountable if found guilty of misconduct and would lose the honour of being a warrior.
Criminal cases will be handled by the national justice system, while immoral conduct and administrative offences will be handled by the courts and the military authorities.
Restoring public trust in the Armed Forces through prosecution and reforms is a top government priority, Mohamed Khaled said.
He assured Parliament that the national defence system is “at its highest level and uncompromised”.
Mohamed Khaled also cautioned against tarnishing the entire institution over the actions of a few.
Earlier this year, social media claims alleged immoral activities in military camps involving outsiders and officers, with “yeye” culture used to describe wild parties, some involving female escorts. The Defence Ministry has launched an internal probe.
On Jan 23, former army chief Jen Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan was charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court with two additional counts of receiving proceeds from illegal activities, on top of four earlier money-laundering charges involving more than RM2mil linked to alleged irregularities in army procurement projects. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail with conditions, including monthly reporting and surrendering his passport.
His third wife, Salwani Anuar, also claimed trial at the Sessions Court for four counts of receiving proceeds from illegal activities amounting to RM77,000.
