MACC disappointed at losing high-profile cases

By The Star

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy commissioner (operations) Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul has expressed his disappointment over the commission’s failure to win some high-profile corruption cases recently.

He said the commission had worked hard to collect evidence to bring those accused to justice but sometimes, its efforts went to waste.

“This gives the public a negative perception of our agency, as though we are not taking matters seriously,” he told reporters at the MACC headquarters Thursday.

Shukri said most witnesses were reluctant to co-operate with the MACC because they did not want to risk their relationships with family members, subordinates or business partners.

Of the average 10,000 cases reported every year, he said only half could be probed and eventually, only about 200 cases could be brought to court after getting permission to prosecute.

“Singapore and Hong Kong have a 90% conviction rate while Indonesia and China have almost a 100% rate. In those countries, the evidence adduced in court is strong enough and guarantees conviction,” he said, adding that Malaysia only had a 68.1% rate.