Senior public officials have been given six months to punish staff for corruption despite the fact they have already escaped prosecution through lack of evidence.

Department and agency heads will demote or transfer hundreds of workers suspected of corruption, or slash or freeze their salaries, following a directive from the government's chief secretary, said a report today.

The actions were recommended by the Anti-Corruption Agency which found 585 civil servants were allegedly on the take between 2002 and 2006.

In a report to department heads earlier this month, the agency said a lack of evidence meant none of them were taken to court, the New Straits Times said.

"All these cases have been solved but as there was not enough proof, they could not be charged in court," director-general of the government's National Unity and Integration Department, Azman Amin Hassan, was quoted as saying.

Don't flout the directive

He said department heads who flout the directive from chief secretary Mohamad Sidek Hassan will themselves be punished.

"Within these six months, they must act," Azman said.

"If they fail to act, their superiors or the chief secretary to the government will instead take action against them."

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was elected on an anti-corruption platform in March 2004, but critics - including ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad - contend that his anti-corruption drive has yielded few results.

Abdullah has defended his performance by arguing the Anti-Corruption Agency and government prosecutors can only act with solid evidence.

The premier last week said the agency had taken on another 300 officers to fight graft, according to the state Bernama news agency.