PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has revealed that corrupt contractors and civil servants work in “cartels” to embezzle money from government projects.
Its senior director of the special operations division Tan Kang Sai said recent raids in Selangor found that the officers involved received kickbacks based on the value of the projects.
He said the cases involved senior and junior officers, including presidents of two local councils, the police and other departments.
Applauding the stand of the unity government against corruption and to uphold good governance, Tan said this should serve as a reminder and warning for all civil servants to maintain their integrity and carry out their duties responsibly.
“In October, MACC arrested 11 individuals including policemen and public servants for allegedly being involved in a syndicate that reduces traffic summonses. The syndicate has been active since 2016 and has done transactions totalling more than RM5 million,” he said in a statement.
Tan added that housing developers and contractors also bribed state officials to approve projects in their respective areas.
He cited two former local council presidents who were arrested and remanded for six days over graft allegations last year.
“According to the facts of the case, both of them had allegedly received a 5% cut from the total value of the projects.
“Furthermore, both of them also took bribes in other forms, such as a house worth RM1 million, cash amounting to RM500,000 and holiday packages to Europe. These were for the approval of planning and development of a housing project,” he said.
Following this, Tan said the MACC arrested two more officers as they were suspected to be involved in a cartel to embezzle from government projects millions at four districts in Selangor.
He added that one of them was a material surveyor who allegedly received money and goods from a contractor in exchange for confidential information on a cleaning and maintenance tender.
Tan noted that all of them had been charged in court, proving that anyone caught breaking the law would face strict punishment regardless of background, title or social status.
He called on the people to help MACC by providing information.
“Without sufficient information, it is hard for MACC to take further action to prevent corruption from happening,” he said, adding that failure to report corrupt practices is a punishable offence under Section 25 of the MACC Act 2009.
Tan also reminded the public to not be afraid to report corrupt practices because their identities would be protected under the Whistleblower Act 2010.
“Reports can be made at any MACC office nearest to you, or the public can reach out to us via our website, toll free number or our smartphone app MACCMobile.” - FMT
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