KUALA LUMPUR – The Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (LPPR) today recommended various legal reforms including the enactment of laws covering political funding and beneficial ownership.
According to a statement by LPPR chairman Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang, the recommendations were made after studying the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) annual report.
The first recommendation by the LPPR includes speeding up the enactment of a Misconduct in Public Office Act, as the LPPR board views cases involving wrongdoings by civil servants as a serious matter resulting in wastage and leakage of public funds.
Abu Zahar also proposed expediting the creation of laws concerning beneficial ownership, saying they would require commercial organisations or any individual to declare any instance of beneficial ownership.
He suggested that the lack of a specific political funding law leaves political parties open to bribery.
“LPPR views this seriously and recommends that the government develop specific laws for this to supervise political donations and ensure political activities are clean,” Abu Zahar said.
Furthermore, based on the cooperation between LPPR and the Special Committee on Corruption, the establishment of a Special Committee on Corruption Affairs under the purview of Parliament was also recommended.
The statement said that the select committee would deal with matters including the appointment of MACC commissioners and financial allocations, among other things.
Besides the select committee, LPPR also suggested swiftly establishing the Anti-Corruption Services Commission to provide services and develop MACC’s human resources, to ensure officers and appointed MACC staff have the required skills and competency in conducting their duties. – The Vibes, April 21, 2022
