(AFP) Top leaders of Umno today supported a decision to suspend six officials for vote-buying attempts and announced other moves to stamp out graft.

The Supreme Council of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) backed the decision by its disciplinary committee to bar the six from holding party office for six years.

The committee had found the local-level officials guilty of providing overseas trips, throwing parties or giving bribes to try to influence divisional-level elections last month.

"We fully support the decison of the disciplinary committee," said Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad after the council meeting.

Mahathir, who has frequently denounced "money politics", also announced that the heads of Umno's 165 divisions must in future declare their assets.

Those seeking to contest the posts must do likewise.

Division chiefs would also be barred from seeking government contracts.

Mahathir told reporters the disciplinary committee was preparing a final report on a complaint against Information Minister Khalil Yaacob, who is also Umno secretary general.

The supreme council was awaiting the report and did not discuss the case.

The complaint was made by Fauzi Abdul Rahman, a member of the Pahang state assembly.

Fauzi has also complained to police about alleged irregularities in the management of state funds when Khalil was chief minister of the state.

Decision made

Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Ismail, chairman of the disciplinary committee, was quoted earlier this month as saying it had already reached a decision in Khalil's case. He did not indicate what the decision was.

The six local-level officials have the right to appeal to the disciplinary committee, which handed down the sanctions in the first place.

Mahathir said the supreme council decided it was not the right body to hear their appeals.

The premier admitted last month that many ethnic Malays shun Umno because they believe it "had absorbed a dirty culture - a culture of corruption".

Umno dominates the coalition which has ruled since independence in 1957.

But it lost 22 parliamentary seats in the November 1999 general election, partly over perceptions it has become corrupt and partly over anger at the sacking and jailing of Mahathir's former deputy Anwar Ibrahim.