Gobind presses govt on status of MACC complaints committee

November 7, 2023

Gobind presses govt on status of MACC complaints committee

KUALA LUMPUR: Government backbencher Gobind Singh Deo (PH-Damansara) has called for the Cabinet to provide updates on a proposed committee to examine complaints filed against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers.

“We can’t have a situation where complaints have been filed but nothing is done, (because) there is no mechanism that exists to probe the complaints and take further action,” Gobind said during the debate on the 2024 supply bill at the committee stage.

The DAP MP told the Dewan Rakyat that he had repeatedly asked Putrajaya for updates on the formation of such a committee, but he has not received any response, whatsoever.

Gobind also pointed out that in the budget allocated for MACC in the 2024 supply bill, there is no funding for such a committee, and asked whether it would be made available.

The former communications and digital minister also asked Putrajaya to provide statistics on the number of complaints filed against MACC officers from 2020, as well as the types of complaints, and the actions that have been taken based on these complaints.

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He then went on to say that the MACC Act 2009 clearly stated that there are mechanisms to deal with complaints, such as the forming of a committee.

“When we channel funds to MACC, we need to refer to the aims that we want to highlight through the act and one of those aims is that we have a committee that monitors the actions (of MACC officers).

“A lot of police reports have been filed, and police have acted on them (complaints). However, after that, we have yet to hear about the next course of action,” Gobind said.

This is not the first time that Gobind has called for more oversight of the anti-graft agency.

Two years ago, he wanted to know why the MACC was investigating itself after it arrested three of its officers in an investigation involving “a former department head”.

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The arrest of the three MACC officers came a day after Bukit Aman CID denied that it was “afraid” to investigate reports against the three MACC officers for allegedly stealing confiscated money.

In January last year, Gobind asked then attorney-general Idrus Harun to state if there is any conflict or possibility of investigations being “compromised” as two enforcement agencies were probing one another following revelations about MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s ownership of shares.

The lawyer asked if such a scenario was “proper” and if Idrus knew how to deal with the situation.

Ten days prior, the Securities Commission said that it “will be in touch” with the MACC chief commissioner so that Azam can provide an explanation after it was revealed that his brother had traded in shares using his account.