IT is widely known that corruption is not an issue that is easy to handle. This vile act has evolved into a crime that is increasingly complex and involves advanced technology.
However, in an effort to strengthen investigations and law enforcement, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has utilised techniques such as polygraph examinations to unravel the truth through scientific and more effective methods.
The seriousness of this effort can be seen with the recent handing over of appointment certificates as members of the Certified Polygraph Examiner Team to 16 MACC officers.
These officers were trained by an agency accredited by the American Polygraph Association (APA) through the Polygraph Examiner Diploma Programme, which took place over three months and actively supports MACC investigations across Malaysia.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki has emphasised that corruption crimes are becoming increasingly challenging, especially with the use of digital technology and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum as mediums in which traces of financial transactions can be covered.
Therefore, he explained, the polygraph is one of the important scientific approaches in addressing the complexity of crime.
The polygraph is an effective tool for identifying and developing information due to its accuracy, which is recognised as exceeding 90 per cent, depending on the techniques used.
Information obtained from polygraph tests can assist investigation teams in identifying the direction of a probe, thus potentially saving time, cost and effort in the investigative process.
Essentially, a polygraph examination is a tool that measures physiological responses to questions posed to suspects or witnesses, following best practices used by polygraph practitioners in other countries.
At MACC, polygraph tests are not only conducted to assist the investigation team in unraveling cases involving misconduct, abuse of power and corruption, but have also been used in the screening process for new commission officers since 2021.
Such a screening approach for officers joining law enforcement agencies has also been widely applied in the United States and other countries.
Based on MACC's experience since the 1990s, polygraph tests are also seen as a potentially effective tool in managing issues related to integrity and honesty.
For example, if someone has committed a crime but has never faced legal action, this test is capable of detecting such behaviour, thus improving the accuracy of profiling for screened candidates.
This screening process includes involvement of candidates in drug abuse, serious crimes, violence, moral issues and fraud in job applications.
Polygraph examinations can also be used for screening to detect a history of making false claims, case item identification, syndicate cases, espionage activities, sexual harassment, false complaints and other criminal offences.
Interestingly, polygraph examinations can also be used as a requirement for the Licensed Prisoner Release Programme, as practiced in the United Kingdom since 2014, for offenders of sexual crimes.
Regarding polygraph examinations in the context of corruption investigations, based on cases previously investigated, polygraph tests have a proven effectiveness in helping narrow the scope of an investigation and confirming the involvement of suspects.
For example, in one particular case, at the early stage of the probe, the investigation team failed to locate the cash hidden by the suspect.
However, through the use of the polygraph examination, the location of the cash was eventually discovered, found in an aquarium in the suspect's office.
In the context of the law in Malaysia, although the results of polygraph examinations have not been admitted as evidence in court, they are used as part of the investigation process to assist investigators in speeding up the process of obtaining solid evidence.
Although polygraph examinations have been used at MACC since the early 1990s, significant development only began around 2015 to 2018.
During this period, the number of polygraph examiners increased from three to seven, and by 2024, the team has continued to expand with 16 officers trained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy (MACA).
This training also involves international cooperation, with instructors from the US and the UK, covering modules on equipment handling, testing techniques, physiology, psychology, and interview techniques, thus demonstrating MACC's commitment to strengthening investigative techniques through the use of polygraph examinations.
In this regard, MACA in Kuala Lumpur is also seen as having the potential to become a key training hub for training skilled polygraph examiners in this technique in the future.
Through collaboration with the APA, MACA has the potential to expand Malaysia's influence in the use of polygraphs in corruption investigations, thereby making Malaysia a hub for investigative science training.
From another perspective, polygraph tests actually offer suspects or witnesses the opportunity to prove the truth of their statements, and this is crucial in increasingly complex corruption investigations.
The use of polygraph examinations has now become a symbol of transparency and justice in MACC's efforts to combat corruption in Malaysia.
Noorhakimin Brahim
Coordinator, MACC Polygraph Team