PETALING JAYA: No one, whether from the government or Opposition, will be spared if they are involved with corruption, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera).

       This was in reference to steps the government is taking following the country’s decline in the Transparency International 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) rankings.

       He pointed out that the decline was not just based on corruption cases but also human rights issues as well as the need to reform institutions and amend relevant laws such as those on political funding.

       “In terms of action taken, many cases are still ongoing in the courts. It does not matter if they are from the government or the Opposition.

       “This shows we are serious in taking action against those who practice corruption.

       “The government does not protect anyone and anyone (culpable) will be brought to court,” he said in reply to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PH-Port Dickson) in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (March 1).

       Anwar had asked Ismail Sabri to state the government’s stance on the downgrading of Malaysia’s position in the CPI.

       Malaysia was placed 62 out of 180 countries, a drop of five places from last year.

       Anwar had also said that the perception of corruption in the country would ruin Malaysia’s image if there was no political leadership to tackle the problem head-on.

       Ismail Sabri said it was up to the courts to decide if an individual is guilty of corruption or not.

       “You cannot say the government is protecting certain individuals or only taking action against certain individuals.

       “We don’t know if there was selective prosecution before but there is no such thing today. This is the government’s promise,” he said.

       Several Umno leaders are currently facing corruption charges in court, including former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

       DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng is also facing charges involving the proposed construction of an undersea tunnel and paired roads project in Penang.

       Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is also facing criminal breach of trust charges involving funds belonging to his former party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.