Malaysia has recorded its largest-ever recovery from corruption, fraud, and related offences, with RM15.5 billion reclaimed through forfeitures and penalties, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Negara. The milestone, he said, reflects the government’s intensified push to restore integrity while exposing long-standing weaknesses that had previously allowed large-scale leakages to persist.
Anwar described the recovery as unprecedented in the nation’s history, noting that the scale of the reclaimed funds pointed to serious gaps in enforcement and oversight in earlier years. He said the outcome underscored why the current administration has prioritised institutional reform and stricter accountability across enforcement agencies.
A breakdown of the recovered amount shows that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission led the effort with more than RM8 billion in seized assets and penalties. The Royal Malaysia Police contributed close to RM4 billion, while the Customs Department accounted for RM2.5 billion. Additional recoveries, totalling about RM1 billion, came from enforcement actions by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and the Malaysian Competition Commission.
According to Anwar, these figures demonstrate the effectiveness of coordinated enforcement when agencies operate with independence and resolve. He added that the government remains committed to sustaining this momentum, stressing that integrity reforms are not a one-off exercise but a continuous process.
In the same sitting, the Prime Minister announced plans to table amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 in the Dewan Rakyat next year. The proposed changes are aimed at tightening the law to prevent abuse while ensuring that genuine whistleblowers remain protected.
Anwar explained that the amendments would clearly distinguish between individuals who report wrongdoing in good faith and those who attempt to misuse whistleblower protections to evade prosecution after committing serious crimes. He warned that loopholes in the existing framework had, in some cases, been exploited by entrenched criminals seeking to shield themselves from legal consequences.
He stressed that cooperation with authorities after committing offences should not automatically confer special status or protection, particularly when the individuals involved were directly responsible for major wrongdoing. In his view, whistleblower laws must not be distorted in ways that undermine justice or public confidence.
At the same time, Anwar reaffirmed that legitimate whistleblowers would continue to receive full protection under the law, including safeguards for their personal safety and that of their families. He said these protections are essential to encourage responsible disclosures that help uncover corruption and abuse of power.
The Prime Minister concluded by reiterating that the government’s integrity agenda remains firmly on course, with stronger laws, clearer safeguards, and sustained enforcement forming the backbone of efforts to clean up governance and protect public funds.
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