BANGI, Sept 26 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is focusing on combating issues of corruption, weaknesses in governance and power abuse in the country’s construction sector.

MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the construction sector is highly vulnerable to corruption, including road construction and building projects, as well as an increase in the cost of government contracts.

He said the MACC’s focus now was on government contracts with construction companies at the state and federal levels.

"There are many leakages in the construction sector,” he told reporters at the 3rd National Level Governance, Integrity And Anti-Corruption Research Conference 2024 here today.

He said the Special Cabinet Committee of the National Governance (JKKTN) had agreed on the proposal to encourage all G7 grade companies to obtain the MS ISO 37001 AntiBribery Management System (ABMS) certification.Failing which, he said, the company may not be able to participate in the Finance Ministry’s tender.

The company will also be given priority for work procurement worth RM100 million and above for the first two years, he said, adding that the initiative supports the principle of corporate liability under Section 17A of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.

Earlier, Azam, in his speech said that based on a report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), US$ 5 trillion per year in leakage value is expected to be contributed by the construction sector by 2030 if no effective measures are taken to deal with corruption.

RICS is a world professional body that sets standards and quality for real estate, infrastructure and construction. — Bernama