More civil servants report bribery attempts in Sabah now – MACC

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KOTA KINABALU: There are positive signs of growing anti-corruption awareness among civil servants in Sabah, including a marked increase in the number of those coming forward to report bribery attempts.

Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Sabah director Deputy Commissioner Haji Jalil Haji Jaafar said the agency received some 1,000 reports and leads on alleged corruption in Sabah last year, mostly from government employees.

“There seems to be a growing tendency among the government officers to report corruption cases, which is a good thing,” he told reporters during the MACC Sabah’s public talk and dialogue here yesterday.

As of August this year, the agency has received more than 600 reports on corruption, mostly involving attempts to bribe government officers, he said.

Jalil said there were also cases involving government officers allegedly asking for monetary payments or other forms of bribery in return for certain favours or services.

He said the number of suspects arrested has also increased with 37 having been charged with corruption in the first eight months this year, as compared to 39 brought to court between January and December last year.

“Majority of the cases involved information given by civil servants that were offered monetary payments. Most of the cases have been fully investigated and prosecuted,” he said without revealing the number of suspects that were convicted.

Jalil also declined to reveal how many investigation files were still active, but said cases being looked into included those from Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau.

Admitting that there were a number of high profile cases involving prominent figures in Sabah, he said MACC could not reveal any specific details.

He also declined comment as to whether the percentage of high profile cases were on the upward trend following the Agency’s move to step up effort in going after high ranking government officers.

On the event, Jalil said it was held to promote active participation of the public in tackling corruption and abuse of power.

He said the event also served as a platform to bring the Agency closer to the people and to encourage input from the ground on issues related to corruption.

Some 200 community leaders from Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Kota Belud, Kudat, Keningau, Memnakut, Papar, Kuala Penyu and Sipitang attended the event.