Sabah MACC focuses on corruption prevention at domestic level

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)'s focus in 2017 for Sabah is on corruption prevention at the domestic level.

To this end, added its new director Datuk Sazali Salbi, MACC would conduct a number of activities including a 'walkabout' programme to selected areas and departments.

"Before this, our focus was more on cases at micro or national level. However this year, it will be on corruption prevention at the grassroots, to also involve the community," he told reporters here today.

Earlier, Sazali who was formerly MACC senior investigation director officially accepted his new responsibility from outgoing Sabah MACC director Datuk Shaharom Nizam Abdul Manap.

The latter has assumed a new position as Integrity chief officer at Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana).

Sazali said Sabah MACC had also been directed to conduct a study involving certain departments or agencies.

"The study that we are going to conduct is based on information obtained in previous years such as audit reports, reports from the Public Complaints Bureau and reports from investigations by MACC officers.

"The study or analysis would be carried out till June this year, after which we will take followup action based on it," he said.

He hoped all civil servants in Sabah would also give their cooperation to MACC in its effort to combat corruption in the state.

"Please come forward if you have any information on corrupt activities in your department or agency," he said.

Meanwhile, Shaharom Nizam expressed confidence that Sazali's vast experience in investigation would boost Sabah's performance in graft prevention.

"I urge the Sabah MACC workforce to give their full cooperation to the new director so that all corruption prevention programmes can be carried out par excellence," he said.

-- BERNAMA