MACC doesn't discriminate between bribe giver and recipient: Official

MACC does not discriminate between the giver and recipient of bribes, said MACC senior assistant superintendent Kesavan Rathakrishnan.

He explained that charges are brought based on who makes the report, not who gives or receives a bribe.

“So either the giver or the receiver of the bribe will become the crime witness in the case, and we cannot charge the witness. 

“If we charge the witness, we don’t have a case. If we don’t have a case, we cannot prosecute and we cannot recover the money lost in the corruption case. 

“Bribery and corruption happen in the dark. So somebody, whether the receiver or giver or any witness, must come forward to lodge a report,” Kesavan told Cilisos.

This is why the government launched a scheme to reward public servants who report bribery, he added.

The scheme has allowed the government to pursue successful convictions while preventing those reporting corruption from being too afraid to come forward, he said.

The programme also rewards public servants with the same amount as the bribes offered to them, provided that the person offering the bribe is convicted in court, he elaborated.

“For example, if you have been offered RM50,000 or RM100,000, you will get rewarded with RM50,000 or RM100,000.

“But make sure you don’t take the bribe - you (must) report (it) to the MACC,” he stressed.

This programme will be open to the public in the future, he added.

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