The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has no powers to initiative investigations on reports and charges of money politics and bribery within Umno, said the de-facto law minister Nazri Aziz today.

Nazri, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, said offending party members are only answerable to the party's disciplinary board.

The minister in the prime minister's department added that Umno members were fee paying cadres of the party and as such they are only held accountable by party regulations.

As such, those members alleged to be involved in money politics are not bound by the country's corruption laws, he said in an interview with mstar, the Star 's online Malay news section.

"Umno members only have to answer to the disciplinary committee and are punished according to party regulations for party dealings. They have immunity to laws outside the jurisdiction of the party," he said.

"This is because their actions in the party have nothing to do with the public business and does not involve their (public) interests, in my opinion," he said in the interview conducted in his office.

Nazri also said that the definition of bribery will be different in the context of party matters as opposed to the current laws of the country.

Normal party culture

He added that as an organisation, Umno has the right to discipline its members in accordance to its regulations without having to involve the ACA.

He also said that any infraction within the party will not have a negative impact on the general public because the party post does not involve public interests.

Money politics in Umno, furthermore, do not involve public funds or public projects, he added.

" Dalam Umno kita bagi orang makan, itu adat bila nak bertanding (In Umno we 'feed' people, this is the culture when contesting). It is not a public infraction, but it is considered one within the party," he said.

According to the article, not a single complaint of money politics involving party member has been filed with the ACA.

However the party in its own initiative has suspended post holders over corrupt practices.

RM200 to reject Mahathir

The biggest fish to be caught by the party's disciplinary committee thus far is former Umno vice president Mohd Isa Samad who had his membership suspended for three years after he was found guilty last October for his involvement in vote buying and bribery.

The former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar later resigned as Federal Territories minister.

The most recent complaint of money politics in Umno came when former party chief Dr Mahathir Mohamad attributed bribery as a reason for his failure to be elected as a delegate for the Kubang Pasu Umno division to the party's general meeting beginning on Nov 13.

The former premier said that delegates were paid RM200 each to ensure that he was not elected as a delegate.

The party leadership however denied this accusation.