Latest news with #anti-graft
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Muda's Amira summoned by cops over Azam Baki rally
In her speech, Muda's Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz had called for greater transparency from the government and not to weaponise the anti-graft agency. PETALING JAYA : Muda acting president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz has been summoned to the Dang Wangi police station on June 18 over her involvement in last month's rally demanding the resignation of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki. According to Amira, she will record her statement under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act following an order from the Papar district police in Sabah. 'I have been summoned and investigated in connection with many previous peaceful assemblies,' she said in an X posting today. 'I remain steadfast in the struggle to bring truth and justice. As long as I can, I will continue to move forward with this struggle.' On the night of May 25, some 60 protesters marched to Dataran Merdeka to protest Azam's third-term extension as MACC chief. The participants, who included representatives from NGOs such as rights group Suaram, electoral reform group Bersih and political parties like Muda and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), marched from the Sogo shopping complex just after 8pm. At the rally, Amira had called for greater transparency from the government and not to weaponise the anti-graft agency.
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Chinese defence oversight official latest figure snared in military corruption crackdown
A senior former official at the agency responsible for the oversight of China's defence industry is under investigation for corruption. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top anti-graft watchdog, said on Wednesday that Zhang Jianhua was suspected of 'serious violations of discipline and law' – a standard euphemism for corruption – and had 'turned himself in'. Zhang, formerly deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND), is the latest target of the anti-corruption campaign that has swept through China's military and the defence industry in recent years and has brought down dozens of generals and executives. Zhang worked for many years at SASTIND, the government agency responsible for managing the industry and overseeing research and production in areas such as nuclear technology, aerospace, aviation and shipbuilding. Zhang, 64, has been working in the sector since 1990 in a number of roles, including a spell as director of the agency's centre for military-civil project review between 2005 and 2009, where he was responsible for reviewing defence projects and linking research to production. In 2013 he became deputy director of the administration and in 2018 he also became deputy director of the China Atomic Energy Authority.
CNA
28-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Corruption-related reports drop 18% in 2024; private sector cases account for majority of investigations: CPIB
SINGAPORE: The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received fewer corruption-related reports in 2024, with the number of cases registered for investigation also remaining low. The anti-graft agency received 177 corruption-related reports last year, a drop of 18 per cent from the 215 reports in 2023. Of these reports, the bureau registered 75 as new cases for investigation. In its annual report on Wednesday (May 28), CPIB said 91 per cent or 68 cases registered for investigation were from the private sector. The public sector accounted for the remaining 9 per cent with seven cases. This is lower than the annual average of 11 cases of the preceding four years, said CPIB. Of the 68 private sector cases, 12 involved public sector employees rejecting bribes offered by private sector individuals. This was higher than the annual average of nine cases of the preceding four years. Public sector employees who rejected bribes comprised officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the National Environment Agency and the Singapore Police Force, said CPIB. The agency also reported that 133 people - 128 from the private sector - were prosecuted in court for offences investigated by them in 2024. "HIGH CLEARANCE RATE" The 75 reports registered as new cases for investigation constituted 42 per cent of the total number of corruption-related reports received last year. This is an increase of 7 per cent compared with the average of the preceding four years. The agency said a report is registered for investigation if the information received is pursuable. "This is determined by the quality of relevant information provided," it said. "Investigative enquiries and intelligence probes by CPIB also uncovered further information that enabled a higher percentage of reports to be registered for investigation." CPIB said it maintained a "high clearance rate", completing investigations into 87 per cent of subjects it investigated last year. Its conviction rate stood at 97 per cent, with four acquittals in 2024 and three cases currently pending appeal hearings. CPIB said it continues to take "firm enforcement action without fear or favour in corruption cases involving both the public and private sectors". "Effective international cooperation with foreign counterparts is also vital in ensuring that cross-border criminals cannot escape the long arm of the law." CPIB cited three cases where such "firm enforcement" was taken - the investigation into former transport minister S Iswaran, the Citiraya case and the Seatrium investigation. Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months' jail in October last year for obtaining gifts worth about S$403,300 (S$313,000) over seven years, from two businessmen he considered his friends - Ong Beng Seng and Lum Kok Seng. He pleaded guilty to four charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which forbids all public servants from obtaining any valuable thing from someone involved with them in an official capacity, and one charge of obstruction of justice. Ong's case is currently before the courts, while the Attorney-General's Chambers has said the prosecution will not file charges against Mr Lum. Ng Teck Lee, the former CEO of Citiraya Industries, and his wife Thor Chwee Hwa were on the run for 19 years in connection to an embezzlement case involving more than S$72 million. They were arrested in Malaysia on Dec 3 last year and given holding charges in Singapore the following day. CPIB investigations against them are ongoing. The Seatrium case involved corrupt payments to advance the company's business interests in Brazil. Former Sembcorp Marine CEO Wong Weng Sun and Lee Fook Kang, a Jurong Shipyard senior general manager, were directly involved in making corrupt payments. Both men were charged in March last year, with the case still pending. IMPROVEMENT IN RANKINGS, PUBLIC PERCEPTION CPIB said Singapore continues to be "well-regarded internationally" for its anti-corruption framework and efforts. The latest Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International ranked Singapore as the world's third least corrupt country in 2024, with a score of 84 out of 100. "This is Singapore's highest position since 2020 and the first time since 2010 that Singapore is top in the Asia Pacific region," said the agency. The Political and Economic Risk Consultancy also ranked Singapore as the least corrupt country out of 16 economies in its 2024 Report on Corruption in Asia. Singapore has held this position since 1995. In the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2024, CPIB said Singapore maintained its ranking of third out of 142 countries for the absence of corruption in government. There was also an improvement in the public perception of CPIB's corruption control efforts. In a 2024 survey commissioned by the agency, 97 per cent of respondents rated corruption control efforts in Singapore as good, very good or excellent - up from 96 per cent in 2022 and 94 per cent in 2020. Heavy punishment for corruption offences, effective anti-corruption law, political determination to keep corruption under control and a zero-tolerance culture for corruption were cited as the top factors contributing to the low corruption rate in Singapore. CPIB said that "prevention, outreach and deterrence" form the cornerstone of Singapore's efforts to remain corruption-free. It engages key stakeholders, the community and the private sector to combat corruption. "Singapore's corruption situation remains firmly under control.
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
A Serbian court swaps prison for house arrest for 3 out of 6 jailed activists after pressure
BELGRADE, Serbia — An appeals court in Serbia on Tuesday released three out of six political activists from jail following protests and international criticism of the populist government, which has faced monthslong anti-graft demonstrations . But the court in the northern city of Novi Sad ordered that the three remain under house arrest, pending legal proceedings on suspicion of anti-state activities. The court said that it would issue another ruling at some point about the other three jailed activists. The six were detained in March after secret recordings of their alleged plotting to take over state institutions was broadcast on pro-government media in Serbia before a major rally in the capital, Belgrade. Hundreds have been protesting for days against their prolonged detention. Those released from jail include a high school teacher who was transferred to a prison hospital in Belgrade last week after going on a hunger strike. The huge rally on March 15 in Belgrade was part of protests that started after a concrete canopy collapsed on Nov. 1 at a train station in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Shaken by the tragedy , populist President Aleksandar Vucic's government has stepped up pressure on those involved while trying to curb the demonstrations. Lawyers for the jailed activists in Novi Sad say that the accusations against their clients are based on illegal wiretapping, and there's a lack of evidence. Vucic criticized the ruling in a statement on pro-government Informer television, saying it was the result of pressure from 'the gang' of protesters outside the court. He described the activists as 'terrorists,' adding that 'there is not a country in the world' that would release them from jail. Protesters in Novi Sad said on Tuesday that they would continue with the demonstrations until all six activists are out of prison. Six more activists facing the same charges aren't in the country. Tuesday's ruling came as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk arrived in Belgrade. Last week, Tonino Picula, the European Parliament's envoy for Serbia, described the activists as 'political prisoners,' while Civil Rights Defenders group called it 'a clear attempt by the Serbian government to silence dissent.' Critics have accused Vucic of increasingly authoritarian rule that stifles the media and other democratic freedoms. The president says that he wants Serbia to join the European Union while boosting relations with Russia and China. Many in Serbia believe that widespread government corruption linked to major infrastructure projects fueled negligence and undermined construction regulations that contributed to the disaster on Nov. 1 at the Novi Sad train station, which triggered the protests.
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
A Serbian court swaps prison for house arrest for 3 out of 6 jailed activists after pressure
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An appeals court in Serbia on Tuesday released three out of six political activists from jail following protests and international criticism of the populist government, which has faced monthslong anti-graft demonstrations. But the court in the northern city of Novi Sad ordered that the three remain under house arrest, pending legal proceedings on suspicion of anti-state activities. The court said that it would issue another ruling at some point about the other three jailed activists. The six were detained in March after secret recordings of their alleged plotting to take over state institutions was broadcast on pro-government media in Serbia before a major rally in the capital, Belgrade. Hundreds have been protesting for days against their prolonged detention. Those released from jail include a high school teacher who was transferred to a prison hospital in Belgrade last week after going on a hunger strike. The huge rally on March 15 in Belgrade was part of protests that started after a concrete canopy collapsed on Nov. 1 at a train station in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Shaken by the tragedy, populist President Aleksandar Vucic's government has stepped up pressure on those involved while trying to curb the demonstrations. Lawyers for the jailed activists in Novi Sad say that the accusations against their clients are based on illegal wiretapping, and there's a lack of evidence. Vucic criticized the ruling in a statement on pro-government Informer television, saying it was the result of pressure from 'the gang' of protesters outside the court. He described the activists as 'terrorists,' adding that 'there is not a country in the world' that would release them from jail. Protesters in Novi Sad said on Tuesday that they would continue with the demonstrations until all six activists are out of prison. Six more activists facing the same charges aren't in the country. Tuesday's ruling came as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk arrived in Belgrade. Last week, Tonino Picula, the European Parliament's envoy for Serbia, described the activists as 'political prisoners,' while Civil Rights Defenders group called it 'a clear attempt by the Serbian government to silence dissent.' Critics have accused Vucic of increasingly authoritarian rule that stifles the media and other democratic freedoms. The president says that he wants Serbia to join the European Union while boosting relations with Russia and China. Many in Serbia believe that widespread government corruption linked to major infrastructure projects fueled negligence and undermined construction regulations that contributed to the disaster on Nov. 1 at the Novi Sad train station, which triggered the protests.
