MACC just stores asset declaration info, only will use if cases arise
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will only use the information in the asset declarations made by MPs and government staff if there are cases against them, said an MACC official.
Its deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil said MACC acts merely as a repository of the asset declaration information, which is stored in the agency’s system.
However, MACC cannot take action against MPs or...
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will only use the information in the asset declarations made by MPs and government staff if there are cases against them, said an MACC official.
Its deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil (above) said MACC acts merely as a repository of the asset declaration information, which is stored in the agency’s system.
However, MACC cannot take action against MPs or government officers who fail to declare their assets as the law does not provide for this, he added.
“What MACC is using now is the code of ethics at the parliamentary level where they (MPs and administration members) declare (assets) to the Dewan Rakyat speaker,” Shamshun Baharin said in an interview with Bernama at the MACC headquarters.
"They declare their assets by filling up the asset declaration form,” he said.
He then explained that the forms would go through several submission processes including to the Dewan Rakyat speaker, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Governance, Integrity, and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC) before copies of the declaration were handed to MACC for safekeeping.
Asked if MACC has an online system for the MPs and administration members to declare their assets, Shamshun Baharin said the commission was still studying the matter.
“So far, MACC does not have an online system for them to declare their assets, but if there is a new law, it might be implemented,” he said.
He shared that many countries have already introduced online systems for asset declaration which has made the process smoother.
In March, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin instructed all cabinet ministers to declare their assets to MACC in line with the government’s commitment in fighting corruption.
That is also in accordance with the asset declaration by MPs and administration members as stipulated in the Members of Administration Code of Ethics under the National Anti-Corruption Plan 2019-2023 launched in January last year.
- Bernama
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