THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) revealed that a single company implicated in tax evasion has recently been compelled to pay RM600 million in penalties and a further RM300 million in compound fines, amounting to RM900 million in total.
Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed that the recovery was achieved through close cooperation with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
“This has not yet been officially announced in any media, but MACC together with PDRM successfully recovered tax revenue that had been siphoned off by the company involved,” he said.
He added that another company has been ordered to pay RM20 million in unpaid taxes and RM8 million in compound fines, bringing the total recovery from that case to RM28 million.
“This collection was achieved in collaboration with the Inland Revenue Board because the company had evaded taxes for several years,” he explained during an exclusive interview on the Apa-Apa Saja Podcast by Harian Metro at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.
Azam elaborated on the challenges of linking corporate tax evasion to acts of bribery.
“This is very difficult to prove. Who did the company pay, and when? If they say they paid, you have to trace where the money went. Sometimes it’s already spent. You see the difficulty there,” he said.
He explained that, in such situations, it is often more practical to recover the funds through penalties and tax repayment while still pursuing other enforcement actions against the company.
From a national perspective, he stressed that authorities must weigh the decision between prosecuting in court or recovering a substantial amount of revenue that can immediately benefit the government.
“If we go to court, the offender might face corporal punishment or fines, and then claim they cannot pay. And if it is a company, who do you prosecute – the managing director, the chairman, or a board member? It is far better to recover RM900 million for the government, which can be used for the people,” he said. - January 11, 2026
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