PUTRAJAYA: A new standard operating procedure (SOP) to oversee the mining of new minerals must be put in place to tackle existing weaknesses and potential abuses, the anti-graft agency has proposed.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said that state governments should review and enhance their current mining regulations to include guidelines for new minerals, such as rare earth elements (REE).
He emphasised the need for state governments to develop new SOPs for mining, given their jurisdiction over the matter.
Azam pointed to a case investigated by the MACC last year involving the misappropriation of revenue from REE mining as a key example.
He noted that weaknesses in monitoring and the absence of an enforcement SOP contributed to this issue.
“This is why we are proposing that state governments implement an SOP that covers the mining of new minerals, so that the weaknesses can be addressed,” he said after attending a state-level agency governance improvement appreciation event yesterday.
In October last year, the MACC investigated a corruption case involving RM13mil and abuse of power linked to illegal REE mining in Kedah, with the state’s Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, confirming his cooperation with the investigation.
Several state executive councillors and senior officials from Menteri Besar Kedah Incorporated were also questioned.
On another matter, Azam indicated that the MACC is monitoring additional airports for “counter setting” activities, which involve foreigners entering the country without proper documentation through designated lanes.
“We have been focusing our enforcement activities at KLIA as it is the country’s biggest entry point. However, we are also monitoring other entry points, including other airports for similar activities,” he said.
Recently, 60 suspects were detained, including a senior immigration officer alleged to be the mastermind of a counter setting syndicate.
Last week, two immigration officers manning the checkpoint at the Penang International Airport were arrested for allegedly allowing foreign nationals to enter the country unlawfully via a special counter.
In his speech, Azam stressed the importance of regularly improving SOPs and best practices to put a lid on any possibility of corruption.
“I would like to advise heads of agencies to abide and implement improvements recommended by the MACC.
“By putting our recommendations in place, not only can it minimise the risk of corruption, it can also prevent leakages in government revenue,” he said.
As of the third quarter of this year, Azam said the MACC has given 422 recommendations to various agencies, with 229 already implemented.
