Topic: Good Governance and Anti-Corruption
Related news: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/03/05/explain-why-muhyiddin-tajuddin-cases-shelved-macc-told/
Coverage by: Free Malaysia Today
Anti-graft groups have called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to explain why its probes into former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman were classified as requiring “no further action”.
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Muhammad Mohan said more details should be disclosed to convince the public that no wrongdoings were committed.
“The public will not just accept an NFA decision, so the MACC must provide more information to convince the public,” he told FMT.
Stressing that the public had come to expect greater transparency from the government, Mohan said disclosing more details on the investigations would help MACC manage public perception and demonstrate that it did everything in its power to investigate the cases.
“The issue here is public perception. Once MACC confirms that investigations into the allegations are under way, the public will expect something to come up,” he said.
Meanwhile, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel said transparency in such matters had become essential given the public trust deficit arising from the share trading controversy involving MACC chief Azam Baki.
“As for the probe into the corruption allegation against Muhyiddin, there is clearly a need for a better explanation,” she said.
On Wednesday, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the MACC had classified Muhyiddin and Tajuddin’s cases as NFA as they found no elements of wrongdoing under the MACC Act.
In an unverified audio recording that made its rounds on social media two years ago, Muhyiddin was allegedly heard offering Cabinet positions and government-linked company jobs to entice Umno leaders to join Bersatu.
Tajuddin was arrested on May 27 last year, a day after he was sacked as Prasarana chairman. He was released on bail the same day.
It was previously reported that his arrest was linked to investigations over the appointment of his son-in-law to a government-linked company (GLC).
