MACC to charge 18 JPJ officers

GEORGE TOWN: In what is believed to be the biggest corruption case involving Road Transport Department (JPJ), Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) will charge 18 officers in Butterworth in connection with graft.

Six will be charged today, six on Thursday and the rest on Friday.

MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya said the 18 were among the 68 JPJ officers who were remanded for investigations.

“All types of ranks were involved.

“This is a continuation of the on-going investigation into corruption cases involving JPJ personnel,” she told a press conference after attending a briefing at Penang MACC headquarters here yesterday.

MACC officers have picked up 79 people – 68 JPJ officers and personnel, two former Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) officers and nine civilians – since April 16 to assist in the probe codenamed Ops Sarat.

Sources alleged that the officers were suspected of receiving monthly payments of between RM10,000 and RM32,000 monthly as an inducement not to take action against lorry drivers who committed road offences.

Latheefa also announced that all closed, unresolved and ‘no further action’ (NFA) cases will be reviewed and controversial ones related to VIPS would be given priority.

“I have asked for all the files and will go through them to find out why they were closed or labelled NFA and I will need time to study them.”

Latheefa said the commission would not re-open the bungalow case of former chief minister Lim Guan Eng unless there was new evidence, when the MACC chief was asked on the matter.

“The case was tried in court and completed, as such there is no need to re-open the case unless there was some new evidence.”

She said integrity officers from MACC had been loaned to all departments on a rotation basis to keep an eye on things.

“We want our officers to be wherever public money is involved and those who undermine them will get into trouble.”

Source: TheStar