MACC advisory board findings to be submitted to PM - Rais

 

The compilation of findings by the MACC Corruption Prevention Advisory Board outlining seven proposals for improvement in efforts to fight corruption in the country will soon be submitted to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Special Committee on Corruption chairperson Rais Yatim (above), who is also Dewan Negara president, said the committee would also request the prime minister to make a public statement so that the report could be available for public scrutiny.

“So far, anything that is presented to him as the prime minister is not made known (publicly). I will try to make the government equally enthusiastic in the fight against corruption in terms of legislation and reality," he told reporters after receiving the booklet from Anti-Corruption Advisory Board chairperson Abu Zahar Ujang at the Parliament building yesterday.

Abu Zahar in his speech said the first proposal was to speed up the enactment of legislation related to misconduct of civil servants.

"The advisory board views seriously public office misconduct involving leakages and deliberate loss of government funds," he said.

He added that the second proposal was to expedite the enactment of a law relating to beneficial ownership to create a new provision under Act 694 which requires a commercial organisation or any individual to make a declaration on the beneficial owners.

“This new provision allows the MACC to investigate the beneficial owner relating to their interest in government procurement. This includes offences by commercial organisations or an individual in the procurement and sale of government projects/ tenders to other parties for financial gain without going through tendering procedures,” said Abu Zahar.

According to him, it was also proposed that legislation be enacted on political funding, an organisational anti-corruption plan is monitored and a select committee on anti-corruption affairs under Parliament be established.

The other two proposals are the establishment of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Services Commission and a public announcement of the Special Committee on Corruption annual report approved by Parliament.

- Bernama