PAKATAN Harapan lawmakers who have declared their net worth to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have given the graft-busters a breakdown of their assets.
They have also furnished the MACC with justifications of how they acquired the assets, including if these were gifts.
MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull said their assets were itemised in forms submitted to the commission, which were not made public.
He said while MACC would take the declarations at face value for now, the commission was duty-bound to probe if there were reports lodged against members of parliament for having acquired any of their listed properties through means that were in contravention of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.
“The assets they listed had details of their sources, including the banks (which financed the purchase of an asset).
“The declared assets include those received as gifts,” Shukri told the New Sunday Times.
Shukri said there had been no report lodged to suggest that any of the MPs, who went public with their net worth on https://mydeclaration.sprm.gov.my/, had accumulated their wealth by breaking the MACC Act.
“If anyone has a valid reason to believe that the wealth was accumulated by certain lawmakers through illicit means, he or she can lodge a report with MACC for probes to be initiated.
“If there is any basis, and the public furnishes us with information, we can investigate.
“We need information if the money, house or other properties were acquired through illegal means. We can look into it if we have some basic information.”
Shukri said such a declaration was not legally binding and that even if there had been any withholding of information, no law could hold the parliamentarians liable. Opposition MPs do not declare their assets.
The PH government made it compulsory for ministers, deputy ministers, MPs and political secretaries to declare their assets as part of its pledges to promote transparency.
DAP’s Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham tops the list with RM75 million worth of assets but later corrected the figure upwards to say that he and his family were worth RM82 million.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, come in second place with RM32 million worth of assets.
MACC deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Shamsun Baharin Mohd Jamil said
the declaration was just one part of monitoring the net worth of the elected representatives.
A year from now, the commission would check for discrepancies and if there had been unjustified spikes in their net worth.
He said for the time being, the amount of assets declared was not an issue to the commission. What’s more important, Shamsun said, would be the assets that the MPs have to their names a year from now.
“The most important thing is that the politicians are transparent with the salaries and properties they declared.
“What they own now is not an issue. We will see what they have now and compare it with what they have a year later. We will look into it if something seems wrong.”
He said the assets of ministers, deputy ministers and members of parliament would not be made public if they submitted the declaration only to the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC).
He said MACC would obtain such information only if GIACC passed it on.
Additional reporting by Tasnim Lokman