I am puzzled by the report that a senior civil servant was nabbed in a RM100 million scam from which he has benefitted RM20 million.

Arrested with him were (said to be) contractors from companies that received payments from his ministry, the Youth and Sports Ministry. It seemed the scam has gone on from as early as 2010.

So far the report has focused on the items recovered from this particular official - luxurious cars, jewelleries, expensive watches and handbags - which to me are quite immaterial. Are these not just loot or ill-gotten gains?

To me, the investigation should rightly focus on how this official was able to amass so much ill-gotten gains from the ministry, single-handedly and undetected for so long.

Did this official have a superior who was supposed to supervise or oversee his works? Did he have subordinates who were supposed to carry out his instructions or directives? Did his ministry have a Finance Department that prepared and authorised payments?

What about the involvement of the Accountant-General’s Office in issuing cheques or transferring money to the recipients? Finally, what about annual auditing? Didn’t they discover or identify anything suspicious since 2010?

There are rules, procedures and authorisation that must be adhered to in all government ministries and agencies. Rarely can one single person transact or effect payment without the knowledge, supporting work and approval of others.

Was this officer’s boss sleeping? Were the Finance Department, the Accountant-General’s Office and the auditor blind and stupid? If indeed they are, what is there to prevent another person from repeating the same process and robbing the government blind?

Rarely can a single person act alone to steal so much for so long from the government’s coffers. To me, he must be supported by accessories who were either negligent or acted in collusion. It is time for the authorities to widen the probe.