Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang expects a report on the progress of action taken against 585 civil servants found to be guilty but, without enough proof to be brought to court, by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) between 2002 and 2006.
In addition, he wants the ACA to reveal the number of civil servants investigated.

"The ACA should give information on the total number of civil servants between 2002 and 2006 who were investigated resulting in its finding that 585 civil servants were corrupt," Lim said in a statement today.

He said the ACA should also reveal the number of civil servants who have actually been charged in court and the outcome of their cases

A directive was issued by Chief Secretary Mohd Sidek Hassan two weeks ago during a meeting to all director-generals in government departments giving them six months to take disciplinary action against the 585 corrupt civil servants.

National Unity and Integration Department director-general Azman Amin Hassan, who was at that meeting, revealed this to reporters on Tuesday.

ACA had recommended that disciplinary action, including demotion transfer and salary freeze, be taken against those implicated in the cases.

Status of high profile cases

Azman told reporters that the chief secretary will take action against director generals who fail to act within six months (June).

"So, within these six months, they (heads of department) must act. If they fail to act, their superiors or the Chief Secretary to the Government will instead take action against them," he was quoted as saying by the News Straits Times on Wednesday.

In addition to making public the number of cases, Lim also noted that the ACA should highlight the status on the on-going investigations of its high profile cases.

"Most important and pertinent, what is the latest on the nabbing of the 18 "high profile personalities" for corruption which the country had been promised when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi first became prime minister, but which had fizzled out with the ikan yus (sharks) having escaped the ACA dragnet," said Lim.