KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Transperancy International - Malaysia (TI-M) has praised the action by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to arrest a former CEO of a subsidiary company in Johor suspected to be involved in a bribery case involving about RM2.7 milion. 

Its president, Datuk Akhbar Satar said this should send a chill across the country that MACC was serious about anti-corruption, and the message was loud and clear that people who took bribes would be punished.

“The right thing to do is for the company or its CEO to report to the MACC if there is any attempt to bribe by contractors instead of taking the bribes,” he said in the statement, here today.

The man arrested is in his 40’s.

Akhbar said MACC should also investigate the Auditor-General’s recent report that a huge sum of money had “leaked” out from the government in order to find out the reasons for it. 

“The MACC should look for leads that would allow them to investigate the cases. Without the whistle-blowers, it is hard sometimes for evidence to be recovered, unless a thorough forensic audit is being carried out,” he said. 

Therefore, he said it was neccessary for the Prime Minister to realise the importance of whistle-blowers, and rein in the amendments to Section 203A of the Penal Code on disclosure of information as well as look at the need to withdraw the Official Secrets Act, which was a bane to transperancy.

TI-M also congratulated a Malaysian civil egineer and entreprenuer, Dr Nehemiah Lee Chee Hai, who is Founder Chairman of a local specialist constuction company, Nehemiah Reinforced Soil Sdn Bhd, for being awarded the International Award by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) United Kingdom.

Dr Nehemiah is probably the first Malaysian to have bagged the award.  – Bernama