THERE is nothing wrong with the government’s probe into old corruption cases, said anti-corruption campaigners. 

They said it was important to bring to book the alleged wrongdoers and to seek the return of plundered government funds, adding that those in power 10 to 20 years ago should not be let off the hook for stealing money and stashing it away. 

“As reported in the Pandora Papers, cases which happened 10 to 20 years ago, there were huge amounts of money stashed in secret accounts and shell companies. 

“There is a probability that the money had come from government coffers and to date there has been no disclosure. We need to get the money back, return it to the country especially now when we are facing an economic crisis. 

“It is only appropriate that the case be investigated,” said Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism chairman Professor Edmund Terence Gomez. 

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has started investigating a former senior minister and a businessman over alleged misappropriation of the country’s funds amounting to RM2.3 billion. 

The alleged wrongdoing was reported to have happened in the 1990s. 

According to news reports, the probe is related to documents revealed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (called Pandora Papers) on transactions carried out at offshore financial centres. 

Anti-graft officials said the probe focussed on the purchase and ownership of shares of a listed company by a giant corporation – a move masterminded by the ex-senior minister. 

Earlier in February, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said had said several individuals named in the Pandora Papers were being investigated by the MACC for corruption, power abuse, and fund misappropriation. 

She added that investigations were ongoing and authorities needed additional information from abroad. 

Gomez stressed that investigations must also involve individuals who are currently serving in the government. 

He added that the government should also look into the alleged scandal involving former Sarawak strongman Taib Mahmud and his family. 

“There are other names mentioned in the Pandora Papers. William Leong and Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz were among them. They must also be probed as their names were mentioned,” he said, referring to a current member of parliament and cabinet minister. 

“Another name is Hanifah Taib – the daughter of Taib Mahmud. There is a serious allegation of corruption surrounding Taib’s family but until now we see nothing is happening. 

“There is no probe on people like her or Taib,” he added. 

Taib was Sarawak’s longest serving chief minister and news about his alleged wrongdoings were well documented by various international agencies such as Bloomberg. 

His daughter Hanifah was made deputy economy minister and her name was also mentioned in the Pandora Papers. 

Don’t politicise it 

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Community Care Foundation urged the government not to politicise these investigations. 

Its chairman Halim Ishak said any allegation of wrongdoing should be investigated without turning it into a political issue. 

“Let’s not make this a political matter. Every scandal, new or old, must be dealt with. There must be no cover up. 

“But we need to be sincere, there should be no vengeance in doing this and it must also not be seasonal; combating corruption is a continuous fight,” said the former police commando. 

Abdul Razak Ismail of Parti Hijau, however, said it was best that the government focused on new cases. 

He said he already lodged a report with MACC regarding alleged abuses in the contract to demolish and rebuild the Shah Alam stadium in Selangor, but nothing had been done so far. 

“Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should start afresh because going back to old cases can be seen as political vengeance. There are many news cases that we can look at. 

“I have been speaking about the alleged corruption involving the new Selangor stadium complex but the matter has not been looked into. 

“I can understand if the case is a few years old but the 20-year-old case is just too long ago. New cases need more attention,” the former Otai Reformis member said. – June 1, 2023.