MACC should not focus on quotas when fighting corruption: Human rights lawyer

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad has been advised to act independently and fairly without fear or favour, rather than declare that a corrupt person will be charged in court every week.
Human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen said that while it is good for the MACC to take a tough stance on corruption, there should not be a quota or KPI (key performance index) on the number of cases to be charged each week or month.
"This is simply because criminal charges are serious matters and can only be done once investigations are completed and there is a case to be pursued in court.
"The danger is of course if there is a quota or KPI, insufficiently investigated cases would be filed, and will result in a weak case, and thus (allowing) the perpetrators to be acquitted," he told theSun when contacted today.
The Lawyers for Liberty executive director reminded the MACC that their performance on the job, regardless of quotas and KPIs, would suffice to show the public that it is serious in tackling corruption.
His response came after Dzulkifli declared on Monday that a corrupt person will be charged in court every week in order to eradicate corruption.
"I do not care who is being charged. I want to put the fear in those involved in corrupt practices, MACC has been consistent on this," Dzulkifli said during a dialogue with the Umno Overseas Students Bureau, in conjunction with the Millennials Empowerment Summit 2017.
He was also concerned about the results of a survey conducted by MACC, in which 18% of the 1,000 university students polled said that they would accept bribes if offered.
Dzulkifli had expressed hopes that educational programmes organised by MACC would help change the perception of the younger generation towards such corrupt practices.