Most bribe givers are non-Malays, bribe takers are Malays, says former MACC senior officer

A former senior officer of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has acknowledged that corruption activities involve all individuals of all races, with more non-Malays being the givers and Malays being the takers, as a debate brews on the ethnic composition of graft offenders.

Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil said the givers are usually businesspeople seeking benefits to profit from their businesses, Berita Harian reports.

The former MACC deputy chief commissioner added that the givers tended to be wealthier than the takers.

"Bribe givers, predominantly non-Malays, do so due to the nature of their businesses.

"Those who offer bribes usually want something in return, such as projects, licences and permits or to expedite service processes.

"They are willing to offer (bribe) as long as they get what they want. The takers are usually financially challenged individuals and are mostly Malays," he said, as quoted by the news portal.

Shamshun, however, said that MACC never conducts investigations based on ethnic or racial backgrounds and is instead done based on the reports and information received.

This comes after Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, on an episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast with Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, claimed that non-Muslims make up the majority of those detained for giving and taking bribes.

Sanusi said the claim was true and based on facts, and that it could be proven with factual evidence instead of merely pointing fingers at DAP, who he alleged has started using the same narrative against Malay leaders.

Sanusi's statement was later rebuked by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who called the allegations unfounded and irresponsible.

Loke also challenged Sanusi to provide concrete evidence to substantiate his claim or publicly apologise.

Shamshun, meanwhile, said the ethnicity of givers and takers of bribes should not be an issue as MACC investigations are focused on corruption offences, and both taking and giving bribes are criminal in nature.

He added that while in service, he found that the majority of bribe takers were Muslims, with 47% of them being civil servants.