PUTRAJAYA, Nov 10 — The lack of integrity when having power has been the cause of corruption among civil servants, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki.
He said according to statistics, every year almost half of the total arrests made by the MACC involved civil servants.
“This is saddening. We must stop corruption in the civil service in order to improve our image,” he said in his speech at the Integrity Day celebration and the launch of the Youth and Sports Ministry’s (KBS) Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP), here yesterday.
Azam said the MACC would never compromise with those involved in corruption and abuse of power, including its own personnel.
Meanwhile, he reminded the public that failure to report bribe offers is an offence under Section 25 (2) and Section 25 (4) of the MACC Act 2009 that could be jailed or fined if found guilty.
He also expressed his appreciation to civil servants who had rejected any form of corruption and reported such acts to the authorities.
According to him, a total of 406 civil servants had received the recognition and reward totalling RM813,806 for reporting corrupt practices in the service.
On the OACP, Azam said it was a testament to KBS’ leadership commitment to strengthening the integrity of its staff.
According to Azam, based on MACC records, from 2016 to September 30, 27 KBS staff were arrested for corruption, of which 74 per cent involved false claims.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu in his speech when launching the OACP said the plan was aimed at addressing KBS’ weaknesses in governance, integrity and anti-corruption efforts.
— Bernama
