SERI KEMBANGAN, March 29 ― Malaysia’s deep-seated corruption problem should not be heaped only on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s shoulders as it is usually lower-ranking government officials who abuse their powers, former federal minister Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.

The veteran politician who quit Umno to form his own party, Ikatan now in partnership with PAS, said ministers should be wary of their subordinates, whom he termed as “little Napoleons”.

“You know, I have been long enough in the government to not jump easily and accuse the prime minister. You can’t accuse him alone for all the ills,” Abdul Kadir told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview at his office here.

“You just look every day, the ministry of sports. How can they allow such a thing? That’s why I said, corruption has become endemic and it started sometime back. Long before Najib, long even before Pak Lah,” he added, using the nickname for Najib’s predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdul Kadir was referring to the RM100 million corruption scandal in the Youth and Sports Ministry involving a senior government official who has since been transferred out and interdicted from duties pending investigations.

Pointing to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as an example, Abdul Kadir said that when issues surrounding the controversial state investment firm started emerging, he had cast his doubts on the officers in the company.

“When the 1MDB issue became hot, I was also thinking, how can they buy these IPPs at such a price and I made speeches against that. It was 2012, but I was also already questioning. But I was blaming the officers,” he said.

1MDB is reported to have paid RM18 billion for its energy assets purchases, spending RM8.5 billion for Powertek, RM2.3 billion for the Kuala Langat power plant, which is previously known as Genting Sanyen Power, RM1.2 billion for the Jimah power plant and RM6 billion in inherited debt.

Critics, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have questioned the hefty price tag, claiming it was aimed at enriching cronies close to the government as the purchases were made close to 30 per cent above market price.

“The officers, you know, whether they were abusing their positions or made errors or misjudgement, I don’t know. A lot of these are by the implementers and not so much by the political masters.

“I know enough of that as I’ve been in the government for so long. It’s the little Napoleons.and they are very protective of their positions. The politicians have to tread very carefully,” Abdul Kadir said.

The head of the new political party that has allied with Islamist opposition party PAS also said he was glad that federal graft-busters were now going in “full force” to detain corrupt civil servants.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission recently arrested a 56-year-old senior official from the Youth and Sports Ministry suspected of embezzling about RM107 million over the past six years.

Among the assets seized from the suspect valued at about RM20 million were 12 vehicles, designer handbags and jewellery. Some 69 bank accounts containing RM8.3 million were also frozen.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and his predecessor, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, have both claimed they were unaware of the RM107 million embezzlement of funds in the ministry.

Shabery headed the ministry from April 2009 to May 2013. Khairy succeeded him after the 13th general election in May 2013.