Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today stressed that there will be no cover-ups in the MACC investigation into the alleged bribery scandal involving several Sabah state assemblypersons.
Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat, he reiterated the government’s seriousness in fighting graft and that they would not protect anyone.
“If we want to talk about corruption, there are strict actions. I know it is not easy to fight corruption, especially when a case involves the ‘mahakaya’ (ultra-rich group) because they have many supporters.
“But I have been informed by MACC today that they will continue to fight corruption, including in cases like what’s happening in Sabah.
“MACC informed me that the investigation is ongoing and they have called up the assemblypersons implicated (in the scandal). But that is all I can tell you for now.
“But it is not true if anyone wants to allege that there is an effort to cover up or hinder (investigation),” he said during the Prime Minister’s Question Time this morning.
Anwar was responding to a question posed by Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang), who wanted to know about Putrajaya’s efforts to eradicate corruption in Malaysia.
Earlier this month, Malaysiakini published a series of exposés about an alleged bribery scandal implicating Sabah state representatives.
The series was based on eight video recordings furnished by a whistleblower, which Malaysiakini sighted, containing discussions between him and several state ministers and assemblypersons discussing hundreds of thousands in bribes given to them in exchange for supporting a project.
The whistleblower, who has since admitted that he was the bribe giver, had expressed his readiness to share all the purported evidence in his possession with MACC but wanted the authority to accord him protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010. – Malaysiakini