3 days ago
Sabah MACC offers cash rewards to civil servants for reporting graft
KOTA KINABALU: Civil servants who report cases of graft that lead to prosecution are entitled to claim monetary rewards equivalent to the value of bribery offered or received, said Sabah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Its director, Datuk Karunanithy Y. Subbiah, said this move is in tandem with the state policy since 2011, which aims to boost integrity and courage among public service workers and encourage reports of any form of graft.
'If any civil servants make a report to the MACC of alleged corruption, be it offering or receiving, which leads to the case being investigated and prosecution made, then the case will be evaluated by a state-level committee to decide on the monetary reward,' he said.
He said this to media personnel after an Integrity Seminar for public service here on Thursday (July 3).
Karunanithy said this committee was chaired by him, along with representatives from the Audit Department and the Sabah Civil Service Department.
He said a recommendation on the value would be made before it was presented to the central committee for a suitable reward to be determined.
'The reward is usually on a dollar-to-dollar basis, whereby the cash money is equivalent to the offered bribe money,' he stated.
'For example, if a civil servant is offered RM10,000 and reports this to the authorities, then the amount would be suggested as the reward,' said Karunanithy.
However, for cases involving small amounts such as RM100, the minimum award for consideration is RM500, he said.
According to Karunanithy, in addition to cash compensation, the civil servant would also receive an official certificate of appreciation for their commitment to upholding integrity within the public sector.
He stated that this reward mechanism only applies to public servants who are offered bribes and make formal reports to the MACC, and not to those who act as public whistleblowers.
According to Section 25 of the MACC Act 2009, it is compulsory for any individual who knows of any form of graft to report it to the MACC. Failure to do so is a crime.
On related matters, he said a total of RM54,850 in reward money was given to civil servants in Sabah in 2023.
Karunanithy said out of this amount, RM52,850 was awarded to policemen and RM2,000 to immigration personnel.
He said the police force was the most active in reporting graft, but only one state agency, the Wildlife Department, has made a report thus far.
He also shared a case where a civil servant received a money-filled envelope discreetly from an unknown individual, who, out of honesty, surrendered the money directly to the MACC for action to be taken against the offender.
