The Malaysian Insight

THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should investigate 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) instead of leaving it to other enforcement agencies, said PJ Utara MP Tony Pua.

Pua, who is also DAP publicity chief, said it was cowardly for MACC to turn a blind eye and let other agencies to look into the scandal.

“What kind of ‘independent commission’ worth its salt would leave investigations, especially a scandal of such scale, to other agencies?

“Why is the MACC and Dzulkifli Ahmad, after all its showboating, so afraid of investigating the country’s biggest and most blatant corruption scandal?” he said in a press conference at parliament today.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low had said in a written parliamentary reply that MACC did not investigate 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) because other authorities were already doing so.

Other authorities, such as Bank Negara Malaysia, the police and the Public Accounts Committee, had commenced investigations into the state investor, he said in his reply dated November 1 in response to a question by Pua.

Pua said MACC has powers, laws and jurisdictions which are completely different from the police to tackle corruption cases. 

“That was the whole point of Parliament passing the MACC Act in the first place – so that there is a dedicated and independent commission to tackle the scourge of corruption and not let the burden be shouldered by police,” he said. 

He added that multiple reports have been lodged with the MACC regarding the 1MDB scandal, including the reports filed by former Umno Batu Kawan division deputy chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan. 

“Until the MACC finally grows a spine and properly considers reports against 1MDB, the commissioner’s boastful warnings will remain as baseless rhetoric,” he said. – November 7, 2017.