PETRONAS today said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had cleared it of wrongdoing following a probe into claims of corruption surrounding a project between the national oil and gas company and an international corporation.

It said it has fully cooperated with investigators on the case, who had not found Petronas and its employees to be guilty of misconduct under the MACC Act 2009. 

It said that the investigation was in relation to Petronas’ awarding of a contract  to a Malaysian subsidiary of an international upstream company in 2021. 

“Following MACC’s recommendation and in line with Petronas’ zero tolerance for corruption, Petronas continues to improve and strengthen its standard operating procedures as a serious ongoing effort to prevent and fight all forms of corruption and misconduct by employees, directors and third parties employed by or on behalf of the companies in the group. 

“Petronas will continue giving its fullest cooperation to MACC,” it said in a statement today. 

The MACC confirmed yesterday that it had opened an investigation into allegations of graft in connection with a Petronas project.

“Our officers received full cooperation from Petronas in the probe involving a project worth RM399 million in Sarawak.

“So far, the MACC has found several weaknesses in practices, the system and work procedures in relation to the matter,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The commission also said that it had proposed several improvements to the company’s SOPs as corruption-prevention measures. – May 27, 2023.