Corruption No Longer Just About Handing Over Money, Now More Complex – MACC

PUTRAJAYA: The form of corruption today does not necessarily occur through overt cash transactions, but is increasingly complex, involving conflicts of interest, cronyism, nepotism, process manipulation, and interference in decisions.

Deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Datuk Azmi Kamaruzaman, said other forms that need attention include misuse of information, undue influence, document forgery, and misuse of technology.

“Technological advancements and changes in the organisational environment have also created new forms of corruption risks and abuse of power.

“The form of corruption today does not necessarily occur through overt cash transactions, but can instead involve conflicts of interest, cronyism, nepotism, process manipulation, interference in decisions, misuse of information, undue influence, document forgery, and misuse of technology,” he said.

He said this while delivering a keynote address at the Future Leadership Conference on Empowering Governance, Integrity & Innovation (LEAD-GOV 2026), organised by Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), here on Wednesday.

Also present was UTeM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Datuk Ts. Dr. Massila Kamalrudin.

Azmi said this situation requires strategic leadership capable of understanding change, managing risks, and leveraging innovation without neglecting values, ethics, and integrity in every decision.

“Leadership without integrity can lead to abuse of power; innovation without governance can create new risks.

“Meanwhile, governance without innovation can cause organisations to become overly bureaucratic, slow, and ultimately left behind,” he said.

Meanwhile, he cautioned that the use of technology does not necessarily guarantee good governance if aspects of integrity and control are not given due attention.

“If digital systems are built without integrity controls, they will only digitise old weaknesses. If data is of poor quality, data-driven decisions can also be wrong.

“If access to data is not controlled, technology can become a tool for abuse,” he said.

Azmi also cited the example of Ops Hack, which was conducted in an integrated manner with the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM), involving the arrest of 12 individuals, including four JIM officers and two JIM Information Technology Division officers.

He explained that the case involved hacking activities on the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs) for the unlawful application and approval of Temporary Work Visit Passes (PLKS).

“This case shows that digital systems can also be manipulated by individuals lacking integrity to carry out illegal activities.

“Therefore, we do not only need digital transformation, but an ethical and integrity-based digital transformation,” he said.

Meanwhile, he outlined four basic principles of integrity-based governance that need attention: transparency, accountability, integrity, and risk management.

He also urged the top management of organisations to provide commitment and support to the Integrity Unit and the Internal Audit Unit to ensure that the functions of both units can be carried out effectively.

He said such support is important in strengthening organisational governance, besides minimising and closing gaps and opportunities for risks that could harm the organisation.

Sinar Harian