MACC looking into 20 bribery, power abuse complaints against judiciary

MACC has received a total of 20 bribery and abuse of power complaints against judges and judiciary officials as of August this year, said MACC chief Latheefa Koya.

She told reporters this evening that the judges cited in the complaints were from the lower courts, including some who had multiple reports lodged with the anti-graft body against them.

Latheefa (above), however, declined to comment if the complaints were all lodged by members of the public or by whistleblowers from within the system.

"I cannot comment if we have opened investigation papers (against them). When we are ready to remand (the suspects) and open investigation, we will inform the matter in a general manner.

"But if we are going to press charges, we will announce (to the public)," she said when asked by reporters to elaborate.

Latheefa met the media after attending the Integrity Day Celebration organised by the office of the Federal Court Chief Registrar at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex.

In her speech at the event earlier, she announced about the complaints MACC received against judges and the judiciary, saying that it was a worrying matter.

Latheefa said MACC had started to conduct surveillance and taking necessary actions on the complaints.

Meanwhile, she was also asked on the updates on old cases, particularly the probe MACC had opened against PAS for allegedly receiving RM90 million from Umno and a PAS leader who allegedly received RM3.5 million.

To this, the former human rights lawyer said she was still in the process of reviewing MACC cases, something that she had been doing since she took over as the chief commissioner in June.

"Like I have said before, after I was appointed, I am in the process of reviewing a list of cases, to see their status.

"There are cases deemed as matters of public interest, there are those that involve dignitaries and such.

"I have to review all these cases. There are some which are in the stage to be charged already. So we wait and see," she said. - Mkini