KUALA LUMPUR: Those guilty of corruption are finding it more difficult to escape the long arm of the law.
The Anti-Corruption Agency revealed yesterday that between 2004 and last year, the number of arrests by its officers had increased by 72 per cent, from 318 to 546.

Over the same period, the number of people charged with corruption had increased from 50 to 76 per cent, meaning that for every four persons caught for corruption, three were charged, as opposed to two previously.

ACA director-general Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan said these statistics were highlighted in a recent government development report.

"Public awareness of the issue of preventing corruption showed an upward trend, with a 25 per cent increase in the number of reports lodged."
He was speaking at the graduation ceremony of 87 ACA officers at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia yesterday.

Ahmad Said told the recruits that the agency was an institution that was "to be respected, but not feared".

"This is because fighting corruption requires the support of every layer of society. With only 1,200 officers nationwide, we can't afford to fight corruption alone."

He added that this approach had allowed the ACA to increase its effectiveness.

Ahmad Said said the ACA received 12,407 reports last year, the highest number in its history.

"This showed that the image and credibility of the agency had improved."

Ahmad Said announced that the operational budget of the agency had been increased to RM154 million. This was included in the RM372 million allocation under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

He said these advancements were made largely because there was political will to improve the effectiveness of the agency in fighting graft.

source: nst