Use of legal loopholes, technology by offenders among biggest challenges faced by MACC

PUTRAJAYA: The use of legal loopholes and cutting-edge technology by offenders are among the challenges faced by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in tackling corruption and misconduct in the modern era, says MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki.

He said corruption in the past was more ‘straight forward’, while those flouting the law now had become much more sophisticated in their approach.

"That is why I always use the term that corruption is an ‘economic crime’. When talking about economic crime, those involved in corruption have various ways of abusing the law or system.

"To deal with it, we need to dig in deeper (into the corrupt practices) because (in the past) we may detect a person is involved in corruption through his lifestyle (but) now, although we may see the offender is living a life that may involve corruption, the law requires us to prove the source of the corruption," he told Bernama in conjunction with the commission’s 53rd anniversary, to be celebrated today (Oct 1).

Azam said the MACC also needed to submit relevant evidence and witnesses to assist and prove the criminal offences committed by these individuals, which was no easy task to do.

Azam said his team also faced challenges in tracing where the illegal proceeds were stored by the offenders, more so with the advent of digital money transactions.

"This is another widespread thing that is not easy for agencies like us or other agencies as well such as the police to detect, for example, the use of 'illegal proxies' by these criminals to store the money," he said.

Azam said a lack of cooperation from the public in terms of channeling information about corrupt practices was another issue as well.

"Until now, the community only talks about the issue, but for them to provide information about corruption either involving themselves or others, is not an easy thing," he said.

The MACC was established on Oct 1, 1967 and was formerly known as the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) before becoming an independent commission in 2009.

It had also been a special agency to carry out investigations and enforcement under the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and placed as a special unit under the Prime Minister's Department to provide anti-corruption awareness to the public.

-- BERNAMA