Graft: What happened to these cases?
Beh Lih Yi
Apr 13, 05 4:21pm
Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo topped the list of 25 high-profile corruption cases in the country, with the highest number of reports lodged with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) against him.
A quick check by malaysiakini showed that at least 10 complaints had been filed with the ACA over the past four years against Mohd Khir, who was appointed menteri besar in August 2000.
Other prominent figures that had been repeatedly subjected to ACA and police reports - some of which were lodged as far back as 1992 - included Works Minister S Samy Vellu, Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob, Kelantan Umno chief Annuar Musa, ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and ex-transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik.
The list is not exhaustive as the check was based only on cases that had been reported by malaysiakini in the past five years.
Among the complainants who had made police and ACA reports against Mohd Khir included media activist Ahmad Lufti Othman, DAP leader Teng Chang Kim, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat Youth wing, an ex-Umno leader and a consumer cooperative.
Lufti, who had doggedly pursued cases against Mohd Khir with the relevant authorities, had filed so many reports that he could not remember the exact number.
He first lodged a report against the menteri besar in 2001 and this was followed by ‘about five to seven’ reports, which either provided for additional details or new allegations of graft.
Lufti had alleged that Mohd Khir abused his power in the awards of land and government projects worth over RM100 million to a few ‘cronies’.
Meanwhile, other individuals have made reports alleging Mohd Khir of being involved in “cronyism and nepotism� as well as his role is several cases such as the missing RM4.52 million Batu Caves temple fund.
Logging concessions
ACA also had been told to probe the Kedah and Perak state governments, both over logging concessions, Klang Municipal Council on ‘wasteful expenditures’ and the Seberang Perai Municipal Council on questionable awarding of contracts.
There had been no news from the anti-corruption agency on several major scandals such as the RM19 billion bond scandal in the Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad, a government-linked company, since it was first disclosed in 2001.
There has also been little new developments on the ACA report lodged against Ahmad Johan in 2003, president of aviation defence company Airod which holds major contracts with the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Airod was said to have paid RM5.7 million to a company set up by Ahmad and his son.
The police force, which has been found to be the ‘most-corrupted’ agency was not spared either. Its Selangor CID chief Abu Bakar Mustafa was called for ACA investigation last year over alleged abuse of power in a case involving a woman and a loan shark.
Money politics
Meanwhile, opposition party DAP lodged a report last year calling for investigation against all Umno members that had been suspended for money politics after the ACA classified vote-buying as an offence under the Anti-Corruption Act 1997.
Despite the ruling party’s argument that it was an internal matter, ACA had pointed out that money politics amounts to corruption and that under the Act, political parties are not immune to prosecution.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had reportedly said the government would make public the cases which have been cleared by the authorities.
“This is to prevent the public from waiting for a long time to hear the outcome of investigations into alleged corrupt cases and to avoid the perception among the people that corruption is widespread.
“We want to ensure justice is done in corruption cases. We cannot merely rely on perceptions,� the premier said in the Dewan Rakyat last May.
He also vowed that the authorities would throw the book at those who are involved in corruption. So far only two notable public figures have been charged - former land and cooperative development minister Kasitah Gaddam and former Perwaja steel managing director Eric Chia.
Politicians cleared
On the same note, the authorities have cleared International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz, ex-Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz of any wrongdoing.
The decision to clear Rafidah and Rahim was particularly controversial as it had been widely reported that the Attorney-General's Chamber had enough evidence to persecute the duo.
Malaysia dropped 0.2 points to 5.0 last year among the 146 countries surveyed in 2004, according to the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Malaysia was positioned at 39 with a score of 5 out of 10.
In 2003, Malaysia was ranked 37 in a survey covering 133 countries, having scored 5.2 out of 10.
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