The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested 42 people as of May 11 on suspicion of involvement with sand theft syndicates in four states, according to the Special Committee on Corruption (SCC).   

NONE The SCC, in its 2009 annual report, said this was stated by the MACC in its meeting with it on May 11.      

According to the report, 12 of the people were arrested in Selangor, 11 in Johor, 10 in Pahang and nine in Perak.      

Twenty-two charges were filed in court in connection with the sand theft activity, described as very serious as it caused the government to suffer losses running in the billions.      

"MACC also regrets this issue has been politicised by certain quarters to make it look as though the commission was engaging in selective prosecution in the matter," said the report.    

Besides this, the SCC, which is chaired by Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad (the Kangar MP), said it hoped the MACC would focus on high profile and public interest cases as this was what the public wanted after the body was elevated to a full-fledged commission.        

It said the MACC must always be seen to be acting without fear or favour in handling corruption cases.        

"This is important for prevention impact that is not only proactive but also effective in the long run (in combating corruption)," according to the report, copies of which were circulated to all Members of Parliament yesterday.       

Short of manpower

The report also revealed that lately, many high profile corruption cases brought before the courts did not end up in the MACC's favour, especially in the subordinate courts.        

"This is based on the trend whereby the conviction rate in the subordinate courts last year was 64.4 per cent, but in the higher courts it was much better with at the Appeals Court level the rate achieved being 86.2 per cent," said the report.   

On the need for more manpower in the MACC, the SCC urged the government to look into this matter urgently to ensure the MACC had enough investigators and prosecuting officers as the commission's limited personnel affected its effectiveness, more so with corruption offences now becoming more complex and sophisticated.         

The report said in 2008, the MACC was promised an additional 5,000 personnel, but to date, was only able to increase its staffing requirements by 33 personnel.       

"In comparison, the ratio of Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) officers to the country's population was 1:7,322 but in the case of the MACC, it was 1:15,225," said the report.        

The SCC also urged the government to consider providing additional allocations to MACC including for the paying of overtime to investigating officers who had to work beyond office hours in probing cases.     

- Bernama