KUALA LUMPUR: Challenges in managing immovable assets, such as land and buildings seized by enforcement agencies, took centre stage at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner’s Roundtable Discussion 2025 held here today.
Organised by the MACC, the programme brought together various enforcement agencies, including the National Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) and federal police Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID), to discuss solutions to critical issues in managing assets confiscated in connection with criminal offences.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said managing immovable assets involves multiple challenges, including maintenance costs, bank debts, and depreciation in value when cases take a long time to be resolved in court.
“If a seized building still has bank debts or rental obligations, the question is, who will manage these matters until the case is concluded?
“It often happens, for example, that vehicles or buildings deteriorate while waiting for the case to be resolved, and when sold, their value has decreased,” he told reporters after officiating the programme today.
Azam said the MACC, as secretariat for the inter-agency special task force under the Attorney-General’s Chambers (A-GC), has taken steps to coordinate discussions among agencies to find the best approach to address the problem.
“We are bringing all enforcement agencies to the negotiation table to discuss this critical issue and find solutions that can be implemented in the future,” he said.
The roundtable session is an initiative under the 2021–2025 Strategic Plan of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Division, serving as a platform for synergy among agencies to strengthen policy coordination and outline best practices in combating money laundering.
This year, the focus is on enhancing coordination in the disposal of immovable property derived from crime, which requires close cooperation among multiple parties to ensure national assets are managed efficiently, transparently, and effectively.
The programme featured three guest panellists, namely, Professor Mohd Khairudin Abd Halim from Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Built Environment, senior lecturer Dr Siti Sarah Sulaiman from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam Law Faculty, and the land legal management division at the Federal Land and Mines Department director Jaiya Abu.
Azam said the roundtable will further strengthen cooperation, coordination and strategic networking among various parties to ensure the forfeiture and disposal of assets is carried out pragmatically, efficiently, and with integrity.
He said that asset recovery is a critical component in combating transnational financial crime.
“It is not merely a domestic initiative but a requirement and expectation of international standards outlined by bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC),” he said.
In the Malaysian context, Azam said MACC’s commitment to these international standards is clear.
“Previous MACC operations, such as Op Metal and the seizure of assets in the highway fund misappropriation case, are in line with FATF and UNCAC requirements to recover assets obtained from criminal activities,” he said.
Azam said returning the nation’s misappropriated wealth is vital to restoring public confidence in the integrity of the justice system.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
