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Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) Zahid Hamidi said that he will not hesitate to take action if anyone, including himself and KKDW Deputy Minister Rubiah Wang, was found to be involved in embezzlement or other forms of corruption.
He made the declaration while delivering a speech at the KKDW Service Excellence and Appreciation Awards for 2022 on Tuesday (May 30).
During his speech, Zahid emphasised the importance of integrity and that it was a value which he would not compromise.
"If anyone within the ministry including me, the deputy [minister], or any staff officer commits corruption, I will not compromise and I will take action. In any case involving breach of trust, the value of integrity must not be compromised."
Breach of trust
An assistant accountant in an agency under KKDW was arrested for misappropriating RM24.8 million (S$7.2 million) on May 27.
In a press conference, Zahid described the assistant accountant as "cunning". He added that he would not let the matter rest as "the taxpayers' money that should have been used for the settlers was instead used by the individual for his own benefit".
During the Appreciation Awards on Tuesday, Zahid said that by embezzling, the employee had "committed a breach of trust".
He said that integrity is a value that must be viewed closely.
47 charges of corruption
Zahid has been the president of UMNO since 2018, the oldest and one of the most prominent parties in Malaysian politics.
He is currently on trial for numerous charges of corruption and money laundering, though he was acquitted on 40 counts in September 2022, just before the general election.
He is currently on trial for 47 charges of corruption-- 12 counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM31 million (S$9 million) of charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi's funds, 27 counts of money-laundering, and eight counts of bribery involving RM21.25 million (S$6.2 million) in alleged bribes.
Zahid's corruption case trial was supposed to happen in April 2023, but it has been postponed to August.
