International fund to combat corruption named after Tun M

(NST) –  A fund set up to combat corruption globally has been named the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Fund in honour of the prime minister’s efforts to fight corruption.

This was announced by International Association of Anti Corruption Authorities (IAACA) president Ali Fetais Al-Marri at the start of the 10th General Conference and Annual Meeting of IAACA.

Malaysia has donated RM500,000 to the fund to help people who faced repercussions in their efforts to combat corruption and Fettais Al-Marri announced that Qatar, where IAACA is based, will double the contribution.

At the general conference, Dr Mahathir delivered a keynote address entitled “15 years of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, Accomplishments and Prospects”.

“Corruption destroys society. There is a need to fight it. But it is not easy because people are tempted to accept. But we can change the culture by rejecting corrupt practices.

“We believe that organisations like IAACA and international cooperation are very important due to porous borders as money can be moved across borders to other countries. This is money laundering. International cooperation will help in reducing corruption to some bearable degree.

“I do hope this organisation which has 15 years of UN Convention Against Corruption, will continue to be active and members will continue exchange ideas. It is useful for poorer countries because corruption is in their system,” he said.

The conference was held at the Vienna International Centre which houses the UN organisation.