PUTRAJAYA: Graft busters have shifted their focus towards tackling systemic corruption, procurement leakages and large-scale abuse of power, says Tan Sri Azam Baki.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner, whose tenure will end on Tuesday (May 12), said one of the key approaches introduced during his leadership was prioritising corruption cases involving massive public losses and organised leakages of national wealth.
"We should not waste too much time on petty graft cases.
"We need to focus on the hundreds of millions and billions lost through corruption and fraud," he said during the MACC's "Kolar Hitam" podcast on Monday (May 11).
He said corruption in several sectors remained systemic and required aggressive and sustained enforcement action, pointing to procurement and public fund leakages amounting to RM277bil over six years as evidence of the enormity of the problem.
Azam said the MACC's fight against corruption in Malaysia must continue aggressively over the next five years, warning that systemic leakages and entrenched graft remain serious threats to the country.
"MACC must remain bold and radical in tackling corruption, particularly involving public funds and procurement.
"We cannot afford to slow down. Corruption in this country is still serious and in certain sectors it is systemic," he said.
Azam, who joined the Anti-Corruption Agency in 1984 and has served for 42 years, said public expectations of the MACC have grown significantly over the years, forcing the agency to constantly evolve.
"The public always asks, 'Who's next?' after every high-profile arrest. That is the brand of MACC now. We are expected to keep acting," he said.
He said the agency's role goes beyond investigations, noting that the MACC has increasingly been entrusted to lead multi-agency operations involving environmental crimes, smuggling and governance issues due to public confidence in the commission.
Citing illegal e-waste imports as an example, Azam said the MACC had played a leading role in coordinated operations at Port Klang, including Ops Hazard 3.0, alongside other enforcement agencies.
"People say these are not MACC's responsibilities. But we do not believe in saying, 'This is not our job'.
"All these crimes have elements of corruption. We cannot avoid responsibility," he said.
