PUTRAJAYA, June 2 — The French authorities have filed an application for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) at the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) relating to the alleged corruption in public transport infrastructure projects involving Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT).

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, however, said it concerned only the alleged corruption involving the MRT and LRT projects carried out several years ago and not in any recent year.

He said the French authorities had been investigating certain parties and companies in Malaysia and France to complete their report on Foreign Corrupt Practice by Public Official.

"I cannot disclose any name of the parties or companies. We are in the midst of processing the (MLA) application and we have to bear in mind that any statement that we give to any other countries such as France, should be through the AGC.

"We are still discussing with the AGC about how MACC can assist them as not all of their requests can be fulfilled. So, whatever we can assist, we will assist,” he told reporters after launching a Journalist Empowering Programme with the MACC, here, today.

Azam said, in return, the French authorities were also required to assist the MACC upon application as the MACC had begun its investigation on the allegation earlier in March.

"The scope of MACC investigation was relating to the bribe allegedly paid to certain parties... that’s our focus and we have opened two investigation papers (relating to the MRT and LRT projects) so far,” he said.

Last Monday, public transport operator Prasarana Malaysia said it viewed seriously the media reports citing sources claiming that there were elements of bribery in public transport infrastructure construction projects, namely involving the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) projects.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said his ministry was open to investigations into those claims. — Bernama