The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) today came under fire for setting its crosshairs on the wrong target in relation to the probe into former Sabah chief minister Osu Sukam's colossal gambling debts .

In a statement today, Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang urged the agency not to waste time interviewing others but to zero in on Osu instead.

On Wednesday, the ACA sent an officer to Malacca to interview Lim's son, Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general, over the latter's comments in relation to Osu's gambling debt.

Lim said the ACA also wanted to question him on the matter, but did not elaborate on this.

However, the veteran politician said the agency should be investigating Osu since the gambling habit was there even before he became chief minister.

"Let me tell the ACA to stop wasting its time and my time as well as taxpayers' money just to put up a show of investigating Osu's gambling sprees and debts," he added.

He said it is most important to determine that the Osu scandal was not just the human failure of a person but the institutional failure of a system of integrity involving anti-corruption laws, agencies and codes of conduct.

Dismal failure

Previously, the opposition leader had warned that he would move for a RM10 pay cut against ACA director-general Zulkipli Mat Noor in the next Parliament sitting should the agency fail to start a probe.

In his statement, Lim said the dismal failure of the ACA to come to grips with the fundamental problem of corruption was highlighted by Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his speech at the 56th Umno general assembly yesterday.

Abdullah had said that the war against corruption in the country cannot succeed if Umno is corrupt and that any meaningful anti-corruption drive must be spearheaded from within the party.

"The ACA must not wait for any green light from the prime minister before declaring a full scale war against corruption, targeting political corruption particularly in Umno, starting with a serious and professional investigation into Osu's high-rolling gambling sprees and debts and those of other top Umno and BN leaders," said Lim.

Osu resigned as Umno Papar division chief on July 12 after it was reported that he had raked up debts amounting to RM7 million in casinos abroad.