THE latest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) swoop on corrupt practices involving the recruitment of foreign workers, which has implicated the Human Resources Ministry, has sent shockwaves through the country.
The graft-buster says it is just the start of more to come.
Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said it was working on more corruption cases involving high-profile names and that everything would be exposed soon.
Speaking exclusively to the New Straits Times, he said: “There will be high-profile cases exposed in one or two months.”
He said the MACC’s job in fighting graft had been made easier as it had the full backing of the country’s top leader.
“When there is a drive and political will from the top, especially the prime minister, it makes my job easier.
“I don’t have a headache. I can sleep at night.
“I can’t sleep when people start interfering with my job and ask me why am I investigating this or that…”
He expressed confidence that the public would support the MACC in the fight against graft, especially when it involved those entrusted with public funds and carrying out government policies.
He said the MACC was an independent body that did not report to anyone, including the prime minister.
“Some people are against us… But out there, there are people from all segments of society involved in corruption.
“It is the MACC’s duty to investigate…. We will classify, we will decide and then we will execute.
“I am not going to refer to anybody to signal whether we should proceed with the investigation.
“Bad things will happen if you do that. Our responsibility is to investigate.”
The MACC has been hitting the headlines following its investigation into high-profile cases involving politicians, including former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and top figures from his party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, which are implicated in the Jana Wibawa scandal.
Last month, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman was charged with money laundering, abuse of power and corruption involving RM232.5 million in bribes from corporate entities linked to the Jana Wibawa programme.
Muhyiddin, 76, is said to have used his position as the then prime minister and Bersatu president to receive RM232.5 million in bribes between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021.
According to the charges, the money was deposited into Ber-satu’s bank accounts from three firms and an individual.
He is the second former prime minister to have criminal charges preferred against him, the first being Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is in jail over the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
Muhyiddin, who is Pagoh member of parliament, was an integral part of the Sheraton Move, which saw the Pakatan Harapan government collapse and the new coalition called PN taking over the government.
This manoeuvre led to him becoming the eighth prime minister and gained him the “Abah” moniker.
The co-founder of Bersatu has claimed trial to the charges.
Others who have been charged with corruption related to the programme are former Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and businessman-cum-Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad.
The MACC came under the spotlight again following its probe into the recruitment of the Human Resources Ministry’s foreign workers programme.
It detained three people as part of the investigation.
Two of them are minister V. Sivakumar’s officers.
He was called in to have his statement recorded on Sunday.
The MACC first arrested one of the senior officers, said to be a former DAP Socialist Youth leader, and a businessman, aged between 40 and 50, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport when they returned from Bangkok, Thailand.
This led to the arrest of another senior aide, a woman in her 50s. – NST ONLINE
