Malaysian official charged with graft

Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, head of Malaysia’s Tourism Promotion Board, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to accepting free dental treatment, worth almost 14,000 ringgit (US$4,200), from a company that he allegedly gave contracts to.

A court released Mirza, who could face up to two years in prison if convicted, on a 5,000 ringgit (US$1,500) bond. His trial is set for February next year, his lawyer Manmohan Singh Kang said.

Corruption appears to be widespread in Malaysia — from police officers asking for a few dollars to look past traffic offenses to huge government contracts awarded in what critics say is a non-transparent manner.

Last month, the Anti-Corruption Agency arrested the immigration department’s director and deputy director for allegedly receiving money to issue and extend visas. Investigations are still ongoing, and the two have not been charged.

Ramon Navaratnam, Malaysia director of watchdog group Transparency International, said the arrests showed the agency was becoming more active. But he criticized it for failing to go after cases involving higher-ranking people and larger sums of money.

“I hope this is the beginning of a longer, stronger and deeper campaign to get the big fish across the board,” Navaratnam said. “The ACA must use its teeth to take a bigger bite rather than go after dental patients.”

Anti-Corruption Agency deputy director Abu Kassim Mohamed said there was no strengthened campaign to weed out corruption, and the recent high-profile arrests were “coincidental.”

“We are just doing our job as we are supposed to do,” he said. “We investigate whatever is reported to us.”

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