The Malaysian Ministry of Defence has committed to a comprehensive restructuring of its procurement and anti-graft systems. This decision comes amid a significant investigation into alleged bid-rigging and bribery networks within military contracting.
Defence Minister Khaled Nordin stated that reforms to the tender process and the ministry’s integrity framework are a priority for this year. He acknowledged that recent events have damaged institutional trust, referencing an ongoing probe into contracts issued over a recent two-year period.
The move follows last week’s arrest of a former army chief, Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, along with his two wives. They are suspected of involvement in a procurement cartel. The national anti-corruption agency, which made the arrests, also detained 17 corporate directors on suspicion of manipulating army tenders. Authorities reportedly confiscated a large sum of cash believed to be linked to bribery in connection with the contracts. The inquiry has broadened, with two dozen companies now under scrutiny.
This is not an isolated incident for the ministry. Several senior officers were detained last year in a separate case involving a large-scale smuggling operation in the country’s south.
In a related development, the nation’s monarch and commander-in-chief of the armed forces recently identified corruption as a fundamental threat to the military’s standing. He specifically criticized the influence of intermediaries in defence deals, urging that such individuals be barred from involvement.
