A Pakatan Rakyat lawmaker today rapped the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) for the drop in their prosecution cases, despite the increase in their budget allocation in 2013.
Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen said that this is because, within a five year period, for every cases convicted, the government has given an average amount of RM707,744 and fined an average amount of RM34,892.87.
“This is at best, a return of 4.9 per cent. What is alarming is that in 2013, despite a massive increase of 24.4 per cent, in the budget to more than a quarter of a billion ringgit from 2011, the total number of cases convicted has actually dropped by 31.7 percent.
“To get a conviction in 2013, MACC needed 8.8 officers to work for a year with an expenditure of RM949,705 to get a fine of RM43,649,” he said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.
Ko said so when responding to a question he raised in Parliament.
He had asked the Prime Minister to state the breakdown of the amount of graft money involved in the cases investigated by MACC for the past five years and also the number prosecutions and convictions involved.
He said that from the statistics that was revealed there was a gradual increase in the budget allocation from RM202,280,000 in 2011 to RM211,288,500 in 2012 and RM251,672,000 in 2013.
However the amount that was fined dropped from RM14,570,799 in 2012 to RM11,567,130 in 2013.
According to the written reply given by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Datul Paul Low Seng Kuan, there was 1078 cases opened and 811 cases completed in 2012 with 401 cases prosecuted and 339 convictions.
However, in 2013 only 27.1 per cent of the 976 cases were convicted.
In total for a period of five years from 2008-2013, 5,517 graft cases were opened but only 1,395 convictions were recorded.
“So, not only the MACC was not catching the big sharks, the little fishes were getting away.
“Ever since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak took office, he has repeatedly declared his determination to fight corruption.
“Unfortunately, despite the higher funding in tackling graft, bribery and corruption in Malaysia seems to be worsening, as found by auditing company KPMG, in January 2014,” Ko said.
He said about 90 per cent of the corporate executives have agreed that bribery and corruption were the major problem for businesses in Malaysia.
“Obviously the appointment if Low to be in charge of Transparency and Integrity has not shown any improvement in fioghting corruption.
“He had actually made a negative impact on MACC, and have performed worse than Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz. He should be honest with himself and resign,” Ko said.
T K Letchumy Tamboo
Mon Mar 24 2014
Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen
ANALYSIS - What could happen if Trump rejects the US election results
If Trump seems to be losing, the delay could let him claim fraud and undermine confidence in election officials.
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.