DAP SECRETARY-general Lim Guan Eng has accused the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of allowing itself to become a “political weapon” in favour of the Government leaders after it classified a probe into former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as “no further action” (NFA).
In an unverified audio clip that made its rounds on social media in 2020, a man whose voice resembled that of the Bersatu president was heard saying that UMNO MPs can be enticed to join Bersatu if they are offered ministerships or government-linked company (GLC) posts.
The recording was purportedly made at the Bersatu Supreme Council meeting on Feb 23, 2020, a day before his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned as prime minister and Bersatu chairman.
Wan Junaidi also said the investigation against Pasir Salak MP Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman for alleged abuse of power was similarly classified as NFA.
Tajuddin, who was the former Prasarana chairman, was arrested by MACC on May 28, 2021, two days after he was sacked as Prasarana chairman. He was subsequently released on bail.
“There is clearly double standard and selective prosecution by both the MACC and the Attorney-General when contrasted with me being charged for soliciting for corruption monies even though there was no such audio recording of me asking for money nor any such cash monies found in my person or in my bank account,” Lim said in a statement.
“MACC did not act against those opposition MPs who openly admitted that they defected or jumped to support Muhyiddin due to such offers of government positions directly from Muhyiddin himself.”
Wan Junaidi had said that MACC had found no evidence of abuse of power in its investigation against Tajuddin over alleged abuses of power during his tenure in Prasarana despite the fact that MACC had already arrested him in May 2021.
“This is probably the first time in history that an MP had been arrested by MACC and then released without being charged in court,” the Bagan MP remarked.
The Bagan MP alleged that the MACC’s “disappointing lack of consistency and commitment” in combating corruption would see the country’s rankings in Transparency International’s (TI) annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) slide even further.
In January, Malaysia dropped five spots in the CPI 2021 to 62nd position out of 180 countries in terms of public sector corruption. – March 4, 2022
