MACC doing its best to stem corruption, says Najib

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was doing its best to stem corruption, given the various challenges.

"A lot challenges have to overcome but they are determined to do their best to ensure that corruption is dealt with in a most effective way in this country," he told reporters after the first 1Malaysia Online Roundtable with experts in various fields at the Prime Minister's Office, here.

Najib was commenting on one of the proposals of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock for an improvement to the aspects of protection of witnesses questioned by the MACC.

He also said that operational changes would be made to the MACC in terms of training as the RCI report had stated that training was inadequate.

"So, we will strengthen the training; the methods of interrogation and management of witnesses would adhere to a new set of guidelines," he said.

The RCI report had stated that Teoh was driven to commit suicide by the aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation which he was subjected to by certain MACC officers.

Najib said it was up to the MACC and the police to investigate further and for the attorney-general to decide on the next course of action against the officers.

He also said that the suggestions made by the RCI panel members would not tarnish the image of the organisation as they were talking about individuals and not the entire organisation. – Bernama