MACC, Judiciary Step Up Cooperation To Fast-track Corruption Cases

PUTRAJAYA, May 26 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Judiciary have agreed to enhance the efficiency of existing court processes to ensure smoother case management and delivery of justice. 

MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman in a statement today said this came as part of the efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation with the Judiciary in expediting the hearing and disposal of corruption cases.  

Abdul Halim, who made a courtesy call on Chief Justice Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh at the Palace of Justice here yesterday, said closer coordination between enforcement agencies and the courts was essential to improve the effectiveness of corruption case proceedings, in line with the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on strengthening the country’s judicial system. 

He said his discussions with the Chief Justice also touched on broader anti-corruption efforts, particularly preventive education aimed at cultivating integrity and building public awareness from an early stage. 

According to him, MACC would continue to implement preventive programmes through its Community Education Division by bringing a more comprehensive anti-corruption message to school and university students.

Abd Halim said MACC would intensify educational outreach by progressively expanding anti-corruption awareness initiatives to primary and secondary schools, with particular emphasis on correcting social perceptions that normalise corrupt practices.

At present, he said MACC has established the Anti-Corruption Student Volunteer Corps Cadets (Kor SUAR) at university level, with Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Terengganu becoming the pioneer public university in the country.

“Educational efforts are a continuous commitment that will be emphasised up to university level to ensure the prevention message does not stop after schooling ends,” he said, while acknowledging that the existing programmes required improved publicity and the quality of message delivery to achieve wider outreach.

He said MACC would shift its focus from conventional methods such as poster distribution and lectures to dialogue sessions and interactive forums that allow direct engagement between MACC officers and the public. 

“I strongly encourage dialogue sessions so that we can obtain direct input from the people on the ground. We want to understand public expectations of MACC so that the feedback received can be used to improve the existing system,” he said.

In the same statement, Wan Ahmad Farid said corruption prevention education should begin at school level and the establishment of MACC Cadet units should be encouraged in the same manner as Police Cadets and Military Cadets.

He said such initiatives could help instil an aversion to corruption from a young age, drawing inspiration from Japan’s education model that places emphasis on integrity and courtesy before academic learning begins. 

“Currently, society views MACC as focusing on enforcement aspects, whereas extensive prevention efforts have also been implemented by MACC,” he added.

-- BERNAMA