The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) “will act accordingly” on information revealed in a sting operation by NGO Global Witness on backroom negotiations by relatives of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

NONE MACC director of investigations Mustafar Ali ( right ) in a in a text-message response to Malaysiakini said a file had been opened based on previous corruption allegations against Taib.

The investigation is under way , Mustafar said via SMS, and added: "With the new evidence that has emerged the MACC will act accordingly."

Global Witness had gone undercover to document the mechanism used by Taib's first cousins to circumvent the law to profit from the sale of logging licences .

However, Taib denied yesterday that his first cousins were his brokers.

It was reported today that two Sarawak legislators have questioned the pace of MACC’s investigations.

chong chieng jen interview 141108 03 Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen (left) said that if Global Witness could come up evidence of alleged corruption, it raised questions about MACC's seriousness in its investigations.  

“The MACC has a lot to explain to the people on this matter," Chong added.

Sarawak PKR's elected assemblypersons led by Ba'kalalan representative Baru Bian lodged a report with the MACC this afternoon based on the Global Witness video.

'We PKR YBs from Swak just back from MACC Putrajaya lodging report against Taib based on WGlobal vdeo,' wrote Bian on micro-blog Twitter.

MACC chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed had previously said that the ongoing probe concerned logging concessions in Sarawak, among other complaints.

His deputy Mohd Shukri Abdull said last year that provisions in law were preventing the authorities from charging Taib with abuse of power.

A Swiss financial regulatory body is also investigating claims of illegal assets linked to Taib kept in bank accounts in Switzerland, while the UK is monitoring the MACC probe.

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