Accepting bribes, abuse of power and making false claims among civil servants is worrying in Penang, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
He said based on MACC statistics, a total of 919 complaints had been received regarding the offense since 2019.
Many offenses are committed and the offenses involving corruption usually involve accepting bribes and abuse of power.
We received a total of 312 reports on cases of involving bribes and 147 reports on abuse of power in Penang, he said when interviewed on the ‘Cakna Rasuah’ programme with Mutiara.fm RTM Pulau Pinang radio on Thursday (Sept 29).
Azam said the matter was worrying because it involves abuse of power such as using positions to award work contracts to family members or individuals who are related by blood.
According to Azam, the offense of making false claims for a work carried out is also common in Penang.
For example, an individual who purportedly performs a job then makes a false claim (for the work performed) as if he did the work, this happens frequently and this is harmful.
Everyday false claims are increasing, I call on all department heads to monitor their officers who are given the authority to make decisions and to keep to good governance, he said.
According to Azam, civil servants are the MACC’s first target group (to be monitored and investigated) because they are at the heart of the administration of a state and nation.
“Therefore, I have instructed my officers to look into the issue of corruption among civil servants in Penang and in other states,” he said.
