The Defence Ministry will carry out a major overhaul of its anti-corruption plan this year as part of efforts to restore public trust and strengthen integrity and governance in the national defence sector.

Defence Minister Khaled Nordin said all tender and procurement processes will also be reviewed and improved in line with best practices.

“The ministry and the armed forces must eradicate corruption and abuse of power that have taken root in the national defence system.

“There will be zero tolerance for any wrongdoing, and those responsible should be prepared to lose everything if they compromise our national security,” he said in his New Year 2026 Message at Wisma Perwira today.

Khaled said corruption deprives Malaysia of quality defence assets and could endanger the safety of military personnel, and also lead to waste, inefficiency and weaken the effectiveness of the armed forces as the country’s main defence institution.

“Corruption erodes the character of personnel trained in discipline and undermines our ability to compete as a middle-power nation. It causes leakages and ultimately prevents us from delivering the best for the country and our servicemen,” he said.

As such, the minister said that the ministry will continue to strictly strengthen enforcement of regulations and disciplinary measures to curb corruption and abuse of power.

On Jan 8, a former army chief was remanded for seven days, while his two wives were remanded for six and three days respectively, to assist investigations into corruption involving army procurement tenders.

The MACC has also seized gold bars, high-performance sports utility vehicles, cash in various foreign currencies estimated at RM6.9 million, and 23 Rolex watches valued at about RM2 million, believed to be linked to the case.

- Bernama

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