KUALA LUMPUR: Investigations into public fund distribution, stalled and abandoned projects, foreign worker permits, gambling, human trafficking, and monopoly cartels are among the top priorities for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) this year.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, indicated in his mandate for 2024 that it was developing three major strategies in the Operations and Prevention sectors, specifically linked to public procurement, law enforcement, and grand corruption.
He said that these strategies reflected the continuous efforts of the enforcement agency to curb corruption and misuse of national funds.
In the public procurement sector, Azam said that MACC's current focus was on eradicating corrupt practices and wastage in the government procurement system, ensuring that government acquisitions are carried out in accordance with laws and regulations.
MACC will concentrate on projects monopoly (cartels), stalled or ailing projects involving significant losses to the government, as well as high-profile grand corruption cases of public interest.
For the enforcement sector, MACC's focus is on uncovering syndicate cases that impact the country's socio-economic aspects.
The emphasis will be on activities related to smuggling, gambling, human trafficking, foreign worker permits, citizenship applications, licensing, taxation, Macau scams, online gambling, and corruption crimes involving law enforcement officers guarding the country's borders/entry points.
In terms of public funds or government special allocations, MACC will focus on cases that result in waste, losses to the government and the people, and are seen to affect government policies and the execution of public fund distribution or government special allocations to specific target groups, communities, or ethnicities.
This includes funds such as the Pension Trust Fund (KWAP), the Social Security Organisation (Socso), the Fertiliser Subsidy Scheme, the TEKUN National Loan Scheme, the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (Prihatin), and many more.
This was conveyed during the Chief Commissioner of MACC's 2024 Address and the Monthly Gathering of MACC in Putrajaya yesterday.
Also present were the three Deputy Chief Commissioners, Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya (Operations), Datuk Seri Norazlan Mohd Razali (Prevention), and Datuk Junipah Wandi (Management and Professionalism).
Last year, BH reported that the Ministry of Local Government and Housing identified 481 stalled projects and 112 abandoned projects nationwide.
BH also revealed last week that over 500,000 foreign workers who are "unemployed" or without being paid by any employer in Malaysia, and more than 100 companies thought to be managed by Bangladeshis have been discovered functioning in the nation, resulting in an influx of foreign workers.
Last year, BH also exposed nearly 2,000 Malaysians believed to be victims of human trafficking syndicates, still trapped and unable to save themselves in several neighboring countries, since a year ago.
Regarding cartel monopolies, the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC) previously disclosed seven companies involved in bid-rigging activities in four supply and service tender contracts for the Ministry of Defence (Mindef), estimated to be worth RM20.8 million.
Commenting further, Azam said MACC would also focus on government revenue collection by continuing investigations into cases related to government revenue collection and tax evasion, resulting in wastage and losses to government revenue.
He said that these earnings should rightfully be received by the government for the country's development, such as excise duties, service taxes, sales taxes, business taxes, import-export duties, and others.
In addition, he emphasised that, in line with the focus areas mentioned above, all planning and operational actions of investigations should be strengthened and aligned with the planning and actions in the Prevention Sector through governance investigation and high-impact public education to make them more effective and comprehensive.
"MACC will continue to implement the 3-pronged strategy in performing its functions, namely through enforcement, prevention, and public education approaches, in line with the functions of MACC officers under Section 7 of the MACC Act 2009 [Act 694].
"The strategy is based on the MACC Strategic Plan 2021-2025, which is holistic in driving the country towards a corruption-free state through effective enforcement empowerment, comprehensive corruption prevention, and the cultivation of integrity to ensure MACC remains effective and relevant in the future," he said.
Azam also called on MACC personnel to have the spirit of "esprit de corps" and a sense of togetherness in achieving the set goals.
In this event, Deputy Chief Commissioners, Directors of Divisions and States of MACC were also involved in the Signing Ceremony of MACC's Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for 2024.