MACC warns leakages erode trust in government institutions
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki emphasized that public funds, crucial for national development, must be managed with full accountability. 'Misuse and weak internal controls lead to power abuse, wastage, and public burden,' he said.
Among major cases highlighted were Op Water Sabah, involving a RM3.3 billion water supply project embezzlement, and a former Youth and Sports Ministry senior officer convicted of 96 charges related to forgery and money laundering.
'The MACC has seized luxury assets worth over RM3.5 billion and forfeited nearly RM28 billion in the past five years,' Azam stated. 'This shows our commitment to reclaiming stolen public funds.'
He spoke at the closing of the 2025 Public Sector Finance and Auditing Seminar (SKPSA) in Teluk Bahang, themed 'Financial Integrity: Enforcing Compliance and Preventing Misappropriation in the Public Service.'
Azam also noted the upcoming Government Procurement Bill, aimed at enhancing transparency in government procurement. He urged accountants and auditors to report irregularities fearlessly to uphold integrity.
Additionally, he called for stronger whistleblower protections under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 and advocated for digital transformation in financial systems using AI and blockchain to detect fraud early.
The seminar was organized by Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz School of Accountancy (TISSA) and Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), with MACC's Financial Analysis Division. Attendees included UUM officials and nationwide participants. - Bernama
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Malay Mail
9 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Is KLIA ‘counter setting' a symptom of deeper migrant exploitation? — Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid
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The act of 'counter-setting' which involves corruption at borders is a well-recognised enabler of both human trafficking and migrant smuggling. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) identifies bribery and abuse of power as systemic 'pull factors' that facilitate transnational crime. In this context, 'counter setting' is not just negligence, it is an institutional gateway for illicit entry under the guise of administrative authority. However, criminalising rogue officers should not automatically lead to the assumption that all individuals who passed through these compromised checkpoints are victims of trafficking or knowingly complicit in smuggling. Immigration Department officers inspecting passports of foreign visitors at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in this file photo taken on July 3, 2023. — Bernama pic Trafficking vs. smuggling: Distinct legal frameworks Public discourse frequently conflates 'migration', 'trafficking', and 'smuggling', an issue compounded by certain NGO and academic narratives that generalise irregular movement as either criminal or victimhood, obscuring nuanced legal distinctions. Under both the UN Trafficking Protocol (Palermo Protocol) and Malaysia's Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM), human trafficking consists of three essential elements: act (e.g., recruitment, transportation), means (e.g., coercion, fraud, abuse of power), and purpose (e.g., exploitation such as forced labour or sexual servitude). 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New Straits Times
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