What happened to ‘corporate mafia’ probe, asks anti-graft watchdog

 Transparency International Malaysia says the government must account for the progress of the investigations.

Transparency International Malaysia president Raymon Ram said nearly five months have passed since the government announced that it would investigate the ‘corporate mafia’ allegations. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) has urged the government to explain the status of investigations into the alleged “corporate mafia” scandal, stressing that months of silence cannot replace public accountability.

The anti-graft watchdog said while it agreed that any decision on a royal commission of inquiry should be guided by the outcome of credible investigations, the government must account for the progress of the investigations.

“If the government’s position is that an RCI must await the outcome of ongoing investigations, then it must now account for the status of those investigations.” TI-M president Raymon Ram said in a statement.

Raymon noted that nearly five months have passed since the allegations first surfaced, during which the government announced the setting up of a special task force with multiple agencies, including the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Securities Commission, and the Inland Revenue Board, to investigate the matter.

“Today, however, the government continues to state that investigations are ongoing. While TI-M fully appreciates the need to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigations, (such) investigations cannot become an indefinite substitute for public accountability,” he said.

TI-M urged the government to explain the progress of each investigation, clarify the roles of the agencies involved, state whether the special task force had completed its work, confirm if investigation papers had been submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and outline what issues remain before a decision on an RCI can be made.

Raymon said the group was not asking the government to disclose confidential evidence or operational details, but to account for the progress of the investigations it was committed to.

He said while the presumption of innocence and due process must be respected, they “cannot be equated with indefinite opacity”.

He also said that if the investigations fail to deliver timely, transparent and credible accountability, the justification for an independent RCI would become increasingly compelling.

“The Malaysian public has waited patiently. It now wants answers,” he said.

Earlier today, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said any decision on an RCI into the “corporate mafia” allegations would depend on the outcome of the investigations.

A Bloomberg report earlier this year alleged that MACC officers were part of a “corporate mafia” which provided intimidation “services” such as raids to pressure business executives to sell their shares.

Then MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki, however, rubbished the report. - FMT