KUALA LUMPUR – While the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has often been criticised for targeting only the “ikan bilis” instead of the “sharks”, its operations over the past two years suggest otherwise.
The MACC has arrested and charged individuals and corporations accused of bribery and money laundering involving millions of ringgit.
Those implicated include politicians, former ministers, chief executive officers, and senior government officials, among others.
Below are some of the notable cases:
MACC Investigations (2023–2026)
2023
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin - Former Prime Minister
March 2023: Detained and charged over corruption and money-laundering linked to COVID-19 economic recovery spending (allegedly accepting bribes via contracts).
Plea: Not guilty.
Statement: Described the charges as “organised political persecution.”
August 2023: High Court discharged and acquitted him of four abuse-of-power charges.
Subsequent development: Court of Appeal later reinstated some abuse-of-power charges.
Status: Other money-laundering charges remain active; case continued beyond 2023.
Tun Daim Zainuddin - Former Finance Minister
2023: MACC opened investigations over alleged failure to declare assets and abuse of power linked to offshore accounts revealed in the Pandora Papers.
Authorities seized properties, including Ilham Tower.
2024: Charged for failing to declare assets.
Late 2024: All charges were dropped.
Status: Some asset seizure matters and related inquiries continued beyond 2023.
Datuk Seri Azlan Man - Former Perlis Menteri Besar
April 2023: Charged with submitting false claims and money-laundering offences related to travel allowances and personal gains.
Faced five charges under Section 403 of the Penal Code for misappropriating RM1.06 million belonging to the Perlis government.
Plea: Not guilty.
Status: Case proceeded through court during 2023 and beyond.
2024
Mirzan Mahathir - Tun Mahathir’s eldest son and businessman
January 2024: MACC issued a notice requiring him to declare all assets (local and overseas) as part of probes linked to the Panama and Pandora Papers.
MACC also examined his business dealings involving government-linked companies (GLCs).
September 2024: Mirzan and his brother Mokhzani submitted their asset declarations.
Status (as of early 2026): No criminal charges filed.
Investigation remains ongoing to verify asset declarations and possible offences under MACC Act 2009 and anti-money-laundering laws.
Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan - Former Army Chief
Subject of MACC probe involving alleged bribery and money-laundering linked to defence procurement.
December 2025: Placed on leave.
22 January 2026: He and his wife were charged with money-laundering involving nearly RM2.2 million.
Status: Investigation ongoing; MACC has seized bank accounts and conducted raids on related defence companies.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob - Former Prime Minister
Investigated over RM700 million spent under the “Keluarga Malaysia” promotion campaign.
Key Developments: MACC completed the investigation and submitted a report to Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
Forfeiture: Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court ordered forfeiture of over RM169 million in cash after he and his former political secretary did not contest the application.
Status (2025–early 2026): No criminal charges filed yet.
AGC is still reviewing the case for possible prosecution.
2025
Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed - executive Chairman of Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd
Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed, 74, executive chairman of Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd and owner of the Maju Expressway (MEX), is currently facing multiple criminal charges related to the controversial MEX II highway project, which was intended to link Putrajaya to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) but remains unfinished.
Charges Against Him
Abu Sahid has been charged with multiple counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering linked to the MEX II project funds.
Prosecutors allege he misused company funds entrusted to him as a director of Maju Holdings, involving hundreds of millions of ringgit.
In one set of charges, he allegedly misappropriated more than RM313 million in company funds between 2016 and 2019.
Additional counts include alleged money laundering of around RM139 million through transfers to various individuals and companies.
Abu Sahid pleaded not guilty to these charges when they were brought before the Sessions Court.
Bail was set at RM1.5 million with conditions including the surrender of his passport while the trial continues.
Some of his cases have been merged and transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for joint trial.
Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin - Former Political Secretary of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Arrested and charged for allegedly receiving bribes (cash and goods) from businessman Albert Tei in connection with mineral exploration licence approvals in Sabah.
Total alleged bribes: RM176,829.03 plus smaller sums.
Plea: Not guilty.
Status (early 2026): Defence applied to transfer the case to the High Court.
Case still pending trial.
Ministry Officials & Senior Civil Servants — RM1.1 Billion Probe
Late 2025–2026: MACC opened a probe into alleged mismanagement or leakage involving a RM1.1 billion government agreement with a foreign entity.
Several ministry officials, including a secretary-general and other senior officers, identified as persons of interest.
Status: Investigation ongoing, documents and witness statements being collected.
2026
Tan Sri Daud Bakar - Former bank Negara Malaysia Syariah Advisory Council Chairman
In January 2026, Daud Bakar was arrested and remanded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as part of an investigation linked to an alleged RM300 million investment scandal involving unlicensed securities activities.
On 23 February 2026, he was formally charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with abetting unlicensed securities dealings.
The allegation is that he, as a representative of Energy Eco Berhad, abetted AUF MBZ Consortium PLT — a firm that did not hold the required licence to trade in securities.
Daud pleaded not guilty to the charge. The offence is under the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007 and carries a potential penalty of up to RM10 million fine, up to 10 years’ imprisonment, or both if convicted.
The court granted him bail of RM50,000 with one surety, and ordered additional conditions such as surrendering his passport and reporting monthly to the Securities Commission until the case concludes.
His next court mention was set for April 10, 2026.
IJM RM2.5 billion Investigation
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is conducting an extensive investigation into IJM Corporation Berhad concerning alleged irregularities involving overseas assets and transactions worth around RM2.5 billion.
A key focus of the probe is whether there were issues related to corporate governance, procurement processes, financial transactions, and the ownership of significant overseas assets.
The chairman of IJM, Tan Sri Krishnan Tan, was briefly detained by the MACC for questioning about the case. He was released after his statement was recorded.
Searches and inspections were reportedly carried out by MACC at multiple locations, including the chairman’s residence and financial institutions, as the probe traced overseas assets.
MACC has frozen multiple personal and corporate bank accounts linked to the investigation, involving tens of millions in funds while continuing efforts to trace and possibly seize other suspected assets.
The probe is being carried out under anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws as authorities work to determine if offences have been committed.
Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli - Former Economy Minister
Linked publicly to MACC investigations involving:
Silicon Vision project: RM1.1 billion
National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR): RM2.5 billion
Total alleged exposure: RM3.6 billion.
Response & Status: Rafizi denies wrongdoing and claims the investigation is politically motivated.
As of February 2026: No confirmed prosecution outcome was announced. The matter remains under investigation and political dispute. - February 24, 2026
The post From ‘Ikan Bilis’ to Big Fish: MACC’s high-profile corruption cases from 2023 to 2026 appeared first on Scoop.