Putrajaya is looking to draft a new law to minimise the exposure of public office holders, to corruption and abuse of power, reported the New Straits Times (NST).

The Public Officials Misconduct Act is meant to hold both civil servants and politicians accountable for bad decisions that could cause loss of government funds, and make them triable in court for bad judgments made.

"The government is drafting a law that will allow punitive action against officials who cause leakages and wastage of government funds,” a source told the daily, adding that the plan would first need to get cabinet approval.

The National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC) is expected to brief ministers and deputy ministers regarding the proposed Act, at its briefing session this morning.

If imposed, the law will require politicians to declare any gift valued above RM500 and make declaring their assets a legal requirement.

This comes in light of former premier Najib Abdul Razak's insistence that RM1.1 billion worth of cash and items seized by the police last month, were mostly "gifts" and that he was not legally compelled to declare them.

According to a source, a provision pertaining to "public office" already exists in the Federal Constitution, but the definitions are vague.

"People tend to manoeuvre around it to escape punishment. We want to make it clear and ensure accountability," a source told NST, regarding the proposed Act.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, newly-minted de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said the Pakatan Harapan government has begun the process to eradicate corruption and to stop "leakages" from all levels of the government.

When asked to confirm about the new act, he said: "Please wait for an official announcement on this."