Several quarters have expressed concern over the acquittal of Eric Chia, who was charged with embezzling RM76.4 million when heading the national steel company.

This is what they had to say.

Transparency International (TI) Malaysia president, Ramon Navaratnam:

We are concerned at the outcome for several reasons. For starters, why has it taken so long to come to this conclusion? If the case was weak, it should not have been taken up in the first place.

Secondly, the acquittal might raise questions on the prosecution and investigation process. This can raise a lot of doubt amongst the public and those abroad.

Thirdly, for any individual to have a cloud over them for so many years is a terrible penalty to pay especially when they are innocent.

I think the conclusion that one must draw is that the capacity for proper investigation and prosecution seems to be weak.

There must be a review and revamp of the whole investigation and prosecution process to ensure an expeditious investigation and legal process to ensure higher degree of justice to all concerned.

(In Eric Chia's case) it has taken so long and then ends in nothing. The large amount of public funds spent and time utilised must reflect the allocation and distortion of scarce resources.

Woe betide to anyone who is even suspected of corruption. He will have to go through this whole painful process that can damage his reputation.

Opposition Leader, Lim Kit Siang

I am surprised by the sudden turn of events.

When Pak Lah (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) became prime minister, the prosecution of Eric Chia was hailed as a major breakthough in his anti-corruption campaign.

The shock failure by the prosecution to establish a prima facie case raises the question of the Attorney-General's Chambers' professionalism and their seriousness.

The acquittal can be seen as a major set back for the anti-corruption drive which seems to have run aground.

PKR president, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

Eric Chia was the first and only major figure among the former prime minister's (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) close affiliates to be charged for corruption since Abdullah took over the running of the country.

This crucial court case was held up as a symbol of the current administration's intentions to stamp out corruption.

Today, the mirage of implementing a clean-up of the system by Abdullah's administration and to bring to book the excesses of the previous government has completely disappeared.

It is scandalous that the prosecution, with all its resources, could have fumbled in what should have been a straightforward and iron-clad case, thus resulting in Chia's acquittal.

The acquittal has arrived after recent and serious allegations of corruption against the former head of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), the sitting chief minister of Sarawak and the deputy internal security minister , leaving another indelible stain on our nation's name.

It is clear that unless we have an independent ACA which reports directly to Parliament, and an equally independent criminal justice system, the corrupt and powerful will continue to embarrass us for the next 50 years.

Democracy and Anti-Corruption Movement (Gerak) head, Ezam Mohd Noor:

We have reasons to be alarmed with this acquittal because it involves high profile personalities and a large amount of money. We think something has to be done to make sure all the process of justice is properly carried out.

We have yet to see the written judgment, which Gerak will study. We hope the wording of the judgment had outlined a strong basis for the acquittal. They need to have a strong basis, otherwise it will raise a lot of question.

This is a landmark case it involves a lot of interest inside and outside the country. It carries a lot of bearing on Malaysia as a investment destination.