Malaysia’s king vows wider ‘hunt for the corrupt’ as military scandal engulfs top ranks
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar says the army procurement scandal is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, as he warns against abuse of power in office
A former army chief and dozens of other officers and civilians have been arrested in recent weeks as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized 52 million ringgit (US$12.8 million) in cash, gold, cars and luxury watches.
The anti-corruption body also froze 80 bank accounts linked to the two cases, which were related to military procurement, although few details have been made public.
Malaysia’s armed forces are often criticised as underfunded, ineffective and undercut by ageing equipment and poor training. Analysts have said this year’s budget of 21.7 billion ringgit was not enough to meet pressing needs to modernise its navy and air force.
“I have said before that I came to Kuala Lumpur to hunt for the corrupt, and it looks like I have succeeded,” he said on Monday.