The government is tightlipped over the status of a DAP complaint to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) against Umno leaders found guilty of money politics during the party elections last year.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, cited section 21(4) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 in explaining why he could not say anything about this.

"Information pertaining to a complaint has to be kept confidential and can't be revealed to the public," he said when replying to a question in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He gave an assurance that Umno leaders would not be treated any differently from anyone else and that they would not be exempted from facing action.

Tan Kok Wai (DAP-Cheras) had asked about action on a DAP report to the ACA last December on money politics within Umno.

In a supplementary question, Tan reiterated that it was inappropriate for Umno leaders who have been found guilty of money politics to continue holding positions in government, saying this involved issues of integrity and public trust.

He cited the example of Entrepreneur Development and Co-operatives Ministry parliamentary secretary Samsu Baharun Abd Rahman and Malacca state executive councillor Amid Nor who were suspended for practising money politics.

"Umno has taken action against them but the government allows them to continue in their posts. Does this mean Umno is more ethical than the government?" asked Tan, who also registered disappointment over Nazri's failure to provide an answer to the original question.

Different perspectives

Responding, Nazri said certain things are deemed as an offence under party rules, but that this may not be an offence from the ACA's perspective. One example is the practice of division leaders to give contributions to branches.

On Dec 2 last year, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng filed a report with the ACA and called for investigation and action against Umno members suspended for involvement in money politics.

At the time, internal action had been taken against 49 Umno members with 37 stripped of their membership for one term (three years), and 12 let off with warnings.

Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Najib Abdul Razak later said that not all complaints involving money politics in Umno would be referred to the ACA as this was an internal matter.

He said Umno had mechanisms in place to investigate such complaints and that the ACA would not be involved until this process exhausted.

"Not every case goes to the ACA...it is the discretion of the party. I am not saying it is automatic," Najib said.

ACA chief Zulkipli Mat Noor reportedly said money politics amounts to corruption and that under the Act, no political party has discretion to decide which of these cases should be referred to or withheld from the ACA.