:23 people arrested by ACA this year: Ahmad

TAWAU, A total of 23 people had been arrested since the beginning of 2008 until today from the state of Sabah as compared to 57 people in the whole of 2007 by the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) with majority of the cases under forging of document cases contributing about 60 percent of the total cases. At the same time, 98 case files were opened so far this year as compared to 180 case files opened last year.

`Our gratification is at RM13.5 million with further property confiscation worth RM36 million’, Director Chief of ACA Malaysia Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Ahmad Said Hamdan stated in a press conference during the closing of a workshop organized jointly by the State Secretary office and ACA held at Hotel Marco Polo here this afternoon.

He said that half of the arrest involved those offering bribes.

Ahmad added that cases of corruption report rate is getting lower and this is due to a better public services sectors. But he also said that there is still room for such sectors to be improved.

Ealier, Ahmad in his closing speech of the two days workshop said the objective of the workshop was to improve the integrity and confidence to enhance the productivity of the public service sector, to increase the knowledge of participants in the Internal Control System (ICS) and to improve sectors in line with the role of ACA under Section 8 (c), (d) and (e) of the Corruption Prevention Act 1997.

He also said that the 9th Malaysia Plan is now in its third phase where Sabah was allocated some RM20.6 billion for development projects.

`It is therefore our responsibility to ensure that the amount reach the group targeted’, he stated in the workshop attended by 50 representative from various government agencies..

Among those attending the closing were Haji Nordin Siman, the director of the Sabah Public Services department, IR. Anjin Ajik, the director of Public Work Department Kota Kinabalu, Hajjah Latifah Md. Yatim, the director of ACA Sabah and Tawau Municipal Council president Haji Salsidu Ibrahim.