MACC STRESSES STRATEGIC COOPERATION WITH BANKS TO COMBAT FINANCIAL CORRUPTION

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 13 (Bernama) – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today emphasised the importance of strategic cooperation with financial institutions in efforts to combat financial corruption, including increasingly complex money laundering activities.

MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said collaboration with agencies such as banks was vital to strengthen understanding and capacity within the sector in addressing integrity and effective governance issues.

“Many financial institutions still do not fully understand integrity and corruption issues. Therefore, the MACC greatly welcomes initiatives such as those undertaken by SME Bank to reinforce the culture of integrity and anti-corruption,” he said in a statement today.

Azam said the public often assumed that the MACC focused solely on investigation and prosecution, whereas prevention and strategic cooperation with other agencies were also among the commission’s main priorities.

Earlier, he received a courtesy call from an SME Bank delegation at the MACC headquarters here.

The courtesy call marked the continuation of cooperation between SME Bank and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy (MACA) through the development of the Integrity Credential Programme (ICP), the first initiative of its kind in the banking industry, aimed at strengthening the capacity of Compliance Risk Liaison Officers and SME Bank personnel.

Meanwhile, SME Bank acting president and chief executive officer Samad Majid Zain Abdul Majid said the ICP, developed jointly with MACA, began in December 2024, and was officially launched from June 9 to 13, 2025.

He said the programme’s modules covered key areas such as anti-corruption law, Section 17A of the MACC Act 2009, anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), and ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System certification.

SME Bank also developed a special module focusing on internal integrity management, corruption risk assessment and misconduct disclosure procedures. The programme received positive feedback, recording a participant satisfaction score of 4.78 out of 5.00, and a module evaluation score of 9.5 out of 10.00.

The achievement was further recognised when SME Bank was awarded second place in the Governance and Institutional Excellence Category at the ADFIM Gala Award 2025, held recently in Sarawak.

The courtesy call also reflected the shared commitment between MACC and SME Bank to strengthen the culture of integrity and ethical governance, in line with the government’s efforts to enhance a corruption-free financial ecosystem in the country.

Among those present were MACA senior director Datuk Mohd Hafaz Nazar; MACC Anti-Money Laundering Division director Datuk Norhaizam Muhammad; SME Bank chief compliance officer Rosehamidi Kamaruddin; SME Bank head of integrity and governance department Shariza Shaffie; SME Bank head of reporting and investigation Mohd Afiq Ab Aziz; and SME Bank head of ethics, integrity and governance Zackry Zulkarnain Zahedi.

-- BERNAMA