KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that it is currently investigating Sarawak Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud over allegation of timber corruption.
Its commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed said the commission was in the process of gathering more information regarding the matter.
“As I said earlier, we are investigating Taib Mahmud and whatever our action is, we cannot reveal at this moment,” he told reporters at Sime Darby Bhd’s signing and handing over corporate integrity pledge to the MACC, here today.
Abu Kassim was responding to a question on whether the MACC was looking at carrying out a similar action by the Swiss Anti Corruption Agency, which recently froze the assets of Taib Mahmud over the allegation of timber corruption.
According to a foreign news report, the Swiss Federation president Micheline Calmy-Rey was reported to be aware of the allegations and had forwarded the information about Taib’s assets in Switzerland to its regulatory body FINMA (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) for investigation.
On monitoring mega projects, Abu Kassim said the MACC would continuously monitor these projects from time to time.
“Our responsibility is to monitor whatever project from time to time. I cannot say which project but it is our job to monitor and prevent corruption in the government,” he said when asked whether the MACC had identified other mega projects.
So far, MACC is expected to monitor three mega projects namely the 100- storey Warisan Merdeka Tower which will cost RM5 billion; the RM36 billion mass rapid transit (MRT) system and Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) project to cost RM6.7 billion. – Bernama