MACC's Latheefa: Probe into 16 Mindef land swap deals over 25 years 'very complex'

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 5): The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations all 16 Ministry of Defence (Mindef) land swap deals that took place over the last quarter of a century “is set to be very complex”, Chief Commissioner Latheefa Koya said today.

The complexity is due to the timeframe, “and the fact that the deals involved multiple defence ministers and civil servants”, the Malay Mail reported her saying today.

She also clarified to the media about an online report stating that Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin telling Parliament yesterday that just one investigation paper had been opened on the land swap deals.

“I believe Deputy Minister Hanipa was talking about one of the many cases of land swap. But MACC received 16 reports. But it must be noted that the land swap deals they have given is a long list of cases that goes over more than 25 years as well.

“So we would need time and face difficulties in locating some of these evidences and the tracking. We are talking over 25 years involving different ministers of defence and various civil servants who have changed over the course of the years.

“It is not as simple as just handing us an audit report because some of these land swap — the word land swap  itself is not wrong — but we need to know why the deal was made, why it was made in the manner,” Latheefa said at the International Conference on Financial Crimes and Terrorism here today, reported the news portal.

She also explained that not all the 16 cases will become “full-blown prosecutions”.