Malaysia's Ineffectual White Elephant, The ACA, Attempts To Justify Its Impotence

While the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) remains 'independent', there are certain areas where it may initiate investigations only following a directive from the Attorney-General’s Chambers. “One such instance is where there is no clear-cut act of corruption that falls within the ambit of the Anti-Corruption Act,” ACA deputy director-general (I) Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed said.

“When a purported act does not fall within our purview, we can only act if there is a directive from the attorney-general,” he said in an e-mail to TheSun over the weekend.

This was provided for under Section 7(3) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997. “If we embark on our own investigations without the attorney-general’s directive, our investigations may not be valid,” he added.

Abu Kassim was responding to a comment in TheSun headlined “Just when ACA was feeling free” by R. Nadeswaran published on Friday. The commentary was critical of Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail for instructing the ACA to investigate the visual recording that purportedly shows a senior lawyer lobbying for the appointment of certain judges. The commentary said Abdul Gani’s interference had cast doubt on the ACA’s independence.

“The issue of the ACA’s independence does not arise as we are free to investigate without any interference. The Attorney-General’s Chambers has never interfered in any of our investigations,” Abu Kassim said. He said that if the ACA received a complaint of corruption, it may initiate investigations without referring to any party.

In the case of the video recording that incriminates the senior lawyer, and potentially a senior judge as well, Abu Kassim said, the ACA receives legal advice from the attorney-general on how it can assist the three-member panel set up by the government to investigate the clip’s authenticity. “Seeking the legal views of the attorney-general is important as this investigation involves classified matters and the ACA has to be careful in revealing the findings of a probe to any party other than the public prosecutor,” he said.

“It is the attorney-general who will decide whether to prosecute once the ACA submits the investigation papers.” (TheStar)

***** This is pure bullshit and the Deputy DG knows it. Basically the buggers manning the ACA are the same rotters from the police force and a few unfit DPPs eased out from the AG's chambers. They owe their collective existence to the government and have no intention of rocking the sampan even if corruption stares at their face and screams out and begs for action.

Forget about the ACA lifting a finger to investigate the big shots. They are only good for setting traps for police constables who take RM5 bribes and office-boys who pinch a couple of ringgit from the school building fund. And to cover their lack of testes as well as their super-inefficient record they'll give all kinds of excuses and justification. At the end of the day they are just government servants marking time, awaiting a datukship or some such award and a plum job in the private sector on retirement, thrown at their feet by the government, like some morsel of food for a stray cat or dog.
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