Graft buster’s blood still hot

Former ACA director laments rampant corruption, suggests ‘Flying Squad’ to fight scourge

KUALA LUMPUR: Decades after his retirement from the pioneer institution set up to fight corruption, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), Datuk C. Thavarajah’s spirit against the scourge that could destroy nations is still glowing like in the old days.

He told theSun: “The government and anti-corruption bodies over the years have put in place many laws and guidelines for organisations to control corruption and abuses but despite all this, there are still many cases of abuse going on.”

Thavarajah (pix), now 84, was with the police Special Crime Unit dedicated only to fighting corruption when the ACA was formed in 1967, and he was among a few hand-picked to be the pioneer team of graft busters.

He served in several states as ACA director and was a specialist in investigations on white collar crime and corruption.

“Because of my experience, Bank Negara Malaysia employed me after my retirement and I carried out investigations on banks, insurance companies and exchange control.

“I was also tasked to be bank nominee in RHB Bank, Sime Bank and Sime Securities in recovery of assets lost by these banks during the financial crisis,” he said.

And Thavarajah certainly agrees with the view in a recent column in theSun that corruption has become rampant and pervasive and is in fact, another pandemic in Malaysia.

“Much of this I see because there is too much money being floated. The biggest abuses are where millions of dollars are paid for work not done, goods not delivered and services not rendered,” he added.

He said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission should look at the biggest spending projects where such abuses are taking place and prioritise its check-andbalance machinery.

For this, he proposed each body or organisation where such spending occurs set up a special task force or “Flying Squad” empowered to carry out any surprise spot checks on the progress of any such work orders.

This could be done with digital technology evidence and the findings presented only to the chairman of the organisation or head of department.

Thavarajah said for effective prevention of corruption, the spot checks should be conducted before payment or completion of the work order.

The task force should also be independent of any audit committees.

“We should have similar preventive action on a smaller scale for other tender exercises.”