Sabah appoints first local MACC chief

The Star

a day ago

(From left) Karunanithy handing over duties to Mohd Fuad (right), witnessed by Ahmad Khusairi.
KOTA KINABALU: Starting on August 15, Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah will become the first Sabahan to lead the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in the state.
He succeeds Datuk Karunanithy Y. Subbiah, who has served in various roles within the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for nearly 11 years and has been the Sabah MACC chief since September 17, 2019.
Mohd Fuad, previously the Penang MACC chief, will have his duties there taken over by Karunanithy.
Before the handover, Karunanithy highlighted his collaboration with the Sabah MACC team, achieving numerous successful raids, operations, and community activities.
Significant operations under his leadership included Ops Penyata for falsified bank statements, Ops Tax concerning sales tax leakages, Ops Syringe for overtime claims, and Ops YB where civilians posed as enforcement officers.
Karunanithy said that as of July 31 this year, the Sabah MACC received 278 reports, opened 137 initial investigation papers, and 44 full investigation papers.
During this period, 41 arrests and 28 charges were made.
'With the state government, we have set up a special task force to trace over RM64.50mil in leaked state sales tax as well,' he said, citing the MACC's achievements.
MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya, who witnessed the handover, expressed confidence that Mohd Fuad's appointment in his hometown of Sabah would lead to more achievements.
'I am sure Mohd Fuad will be able to lay out more aggressive strategies to fight graft in this state,' he said, adding that MACC officials are tasked not only with combating corruption but also with preventing long-term leakages.
He emphasised that agency leaders must help prevent leakages so the state can feel long-term impacts.
Earlier, Ahmad commended Karunanithy for building public trust in the MACC and leading many high-profile graft cases.
In response, Karunanithy thanked the state, departments, agencies, media, and his MACC team for their support.
He urged the Sabah MACC force to fully support the new director in the mission to combat corruption in the state.
'I believe with his vast knowledge and experience, Datuk Fuad will bring Sabah MACC to greater heights,' he said.