KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — The direct transfer of experience from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) officers to its training academy has made Malaysia among the most sought-after training centres for graft prevention, a senior official said.

MACC deputy commissioner (prevention) Datuk Mustafar Ali said their Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy (MACA) has become a regional hub for training graft busters, thanks in no small part to its Masters degree programme that is endorsed by the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) in Vienna, Austria.

Mustafar said that the reason MACA is sought after for training is because its academics are made up of actual officers from the commission itself, making it one of the more advanced and trusted academies compared to that in other parts of the world.

He added that MACC’s five oversight bodies made up of public personnel also makes it one of the better institutions, as establishes direct link with the public, upholding transparency.

“During one of their site visits here, IACA wanted to learn more about MACC... they wanted to learn more about our academy, and they started asking officers to be trained by the MACC,” he told Malay Mail Online in an interview at the commission’s headquarters in Putrajaya last week.

“So, there is trust, confidence and also the advancement as compared to anti-graft bodies in other countries,” he added.

Mustafar said the MACA has so far trained officers from Afghanistan, the Middle East, Mongolia, Bhutan and other countries from the Asia-Pacific and African regions.

Malaysia is set to play host to the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Putrajaya from tomorrow to September 4.

Some 2,000 delegates are expected to attend the bi-annual conference, organised by global anti-graft group Transparency International (TI).