Culprits exposed by their own undoing

PUTRAJAYA: The Sabah water scandal, which saw the seizure of RM127 million in cash and from bank accounts, among others, has grabbed the media spotlight.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) began probing into the scandal after allegations of unfair distribution of water project contracts under the department began to surface.

The issue also came to light after the 2015 Auditor General’s (AG) Report Series 2 stated that the regulatory management of water in Sabah was “less than satisfactory”.

The MACC team comprising 137 personnel that had to sift through 12 tonnes of paperwork, including 8,000 payment vouchers and invoices issued since 2008.

It was reported in October that top officials, including engineers and technicians in the state Water Department, had been remanded on suspicion of monopolising the awarding of government contracts to siphon off millions from the RM3.3 billion worth of federal-funded projects to boost clean water supply in the state.

According to last year’s statistics by the National Water Services Commission, 87.9 per cent of Sabah’s population had piped water supply.

The AG’s Report stated that an audit, carried out between March and July, had found weaknesses in the management of water regulations in Sabah in terms of the need for water, water quality compliance, the proclamation of catchment areas, licensing and enforcement as well as staffing in the department.

The report added that studies on water requirements were not carried out at district level to evaluate the provision of water compared with the need for supply.

The report recommended that a water regulatory body be established to ensure that the management of water in the state was efficient and orderly.