SHAH ALAM – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has reaffirmed that it does not practise selective investigations in corruption cases, including those involving journalists.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the recent arrest of a news portal journalist was based on strong evidence indicating that the individual had allegedly solicited and received a RM20,000 cash bribe.
He said investigations revealed that the money was received in exchange for removing a published article and refraining from further reporting on a foreign worker agency accused of involvement in a syndicate facilitating the entry of foreign workers.
“MACC does not practise selective investigations.
“Anyone involved in corruption, including journalists or politicians, will be investigated without exception,” he said, as quoted by Sinar Harian.
He was responding to criticism from certain quarters questioning MACC’s decision to arrest the journalist, arguing that the focus should instead be on investigating allegations of corruption involving foreign worker agents and immigration officers at the country’s entry points.
Previously, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan described the journalist’s arrest as “unusual”, arguing that the individual had merely reported alleged misconduct related to the smuggling of undocumented foreign workers.
“PAS believes it would be more appropriate for MACC to prioritise investigations into the alleged foreign worker smuggling syndicate rather than arresting a journalist who was simply doing his job,” he said.
Media reports earlier said that the 49-year-old journalist was arrested after investigations found he had allegedly solicited a RM100,000 bribe from a foreign worker agency accused of being involved in the syndicate.
However, following negotiations, the suspect purportedly agreed to receive an initial sum of RM20,000 before being apprehended in an operation at a hotel in Shah Alam at 11.45pm last Friday.
The journalist has been remanded for four days until 4 March after the MACC obtained a remand order from the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court.
The case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009. – March 2, 2025