The withdrawal of MACC’s certified integrity officers (CeIOs) from government agencies is in line with government policy, the anti-graft commission said in a statement today.

This follows the government’s decision to set up the National Integrity and Good Governance Department (JITN), it said.

However, it assured that the new policy would not affect MACC’s task of weeding out corruption and abuse of power in government agencies.

“Therefore, along with this change, the MACC has set up special units to monitor issues of misappropriation, corruption and abuse of power in high, moderate and low-risk government agencies,” it added.

Earlier today, the New Straits Times (NST) reported that 47 CeIOs embedded in ministries and government agencies had been removed from their posts.

They were replaced by in-house integrity officers who report to the respective heads of organisations instead of the MACC.

The report said the CeIOs were tasked to weed out corruption in these agencies and were responsible for high-profile busts since they were introduced six years ago including those involving the Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Youth and Sports Ministry.

In September last year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low (photo) announced that the department’s Integrity and Good Governance Division would be upgraded to the JITN following a cabinet decision on July 28.

The JITN was later established on Nov 1. The move sparked a row between MACC and the minister.

MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad had chastised Low for reportedly saying that JITN would ensure that MACC properly investigated cases and charged perpetrators effectively.

Low, however, defended the move and said the JITN would only focus on administrative issues, delivery and governance thus allowing the MACC to focus on its core functions.

Amid scepticism from anti-corruption activists, Low said on Dec 11 last year that those who objected to the JITN did not understand what its functions were.

In light of the NST report today, Low, when contacted, told Malaysiakini he would issue a response.