Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said no one involved in corruption will escape graft charges.

"In the case of corruption, no immunity will be given, regardless of their status," Nazri said in reply to a supplementary question by Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, (DAP-Ipoh Timur) in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Lim had asked about a report in the International Herald Tribune (IHT) which quoted Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin as saying that the government would not take action on corrupt practices committed before the general election concluded last year.

The article said: "As for criticism that the government is not pushing hard enough against corruption, Jamaluddin (Khairy) said (Prime Minister) Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) decided after the election not to dig up the past. We decided not to focus on retroactive actions, he said, "but rather look forward."

Nazri's reply - "The people should not panic after reading the report as Khairy is not a member of the Cabinet" - stirred laughter in the House.

In a statement, Lim described Nazri's reply as unsatisfactory,

"As Abdullah's son-in-law, he is in Abdullah's policy inner circle, privy to information and exercises greater influence and power not enjoyed by the overwhelming majority of cabinet ministers, including Nazri," he said.

"Abdullah must clarify Khairy's revelation that he had made a policy decision after the general election to grant immunity to all corruption cases involving the high and mighty, including the 18 'high-profile cases', as part of the policy to 'look forward' and 'not to dig up the past' in the anti-corruption campaign..."

Bringing in MPs

Dr Junaidy Abd Wahab (BN-Batu Pahat) asked about the level of commitment of parliamentarians in fighting corruption.

"Members of Parliament should set a good example by staying clear from corruption," Nazri said.

At a press conference later, Nazri said there has been an increase in reports as well as of action taken.

He said the government has been living up to public expectations in fighting corruption since Abdullah took office from November 2003.

While investigations are tedious and time-consuming, "we are confident we are in the right direction", he added.

The National Integrity Institute has proposed a briefing for parliamentarians on efforts to encourage integrity, including battling corruption.