Big Fish?

Talk about corruption and big fish comes to mind ;)

Well, here's a potential big fish, the question is whether will it get hooked? Malaysiakini reported today that there has been a serious and apparently credible report lodged with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) against the Deputy Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamed on up to RM10 million worth of illegal foreign funds.

Fruits exporters Mohd Tahir Fazal Mohd had lodged his report on Sept 23 and as of today he has not been interviewed by the ACA. He however has obtained an acknowledgment letter from ACA after four follow-up visits.

The crux of Mohd Tahir’s complaint against Mohd Zin is that the deputy minister had allegedly received illegal foreign funds up RM10 million since 2000 through Dhaka-based company Silkways Cargo. Mohd Zin, the member of parliament for Sepang, co-owns the company with Bangladeshi partners.

When asked to substantiate this claim, Mohd Tahir said the relevant documents had been submitted to the ACA, while his lawyer Damiam Pheny claimed that a copy of the ledger was in his possession.

From what has been highlighted, it appears that ACA is dragging its feet... or is it?

Way back in 2004, the then Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim in early 2004 announced 18 big fishes were to be netted and prosecuted to usher in Pak Lah's clean-up campaign. More than 2 years later, and 6 spots down the Transparency International World Anti-Corruption rankings, it would appear that the fishes got away scot free.

What the rakyat will like to see now is for this case to get investigated fairly and speedily to ensure that guilty parties, if any, are prosecuted and punished. It is high time for Pak Lah to restore public confidence in his reform pledge to make anti-corruption the centrepiece of his administration.

Or will it be like the movie Big Fish, where Pak Lah's legacy will be just be marked by a series of tall tall tales?