More than RM15.5 billion in assets and cash linked to corruption, smuggling and financial crimes have been recovered over the past two years through stronger and more integrated enforcement, with more than 20 cases brought to court, according to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The amount includes RM8 billion in assets forfeited by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), RM4 billion in seizures by the police, RM2.5 billion by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, and RM1 billion in penalties imposed by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry together with the Malaysian Competition Commission.
The Prime Minister said the government is now focusing on action against major cartels and syndicates, including fraud operators and smugglers who have been operating for 10 to 20 years and were previously considered hard to touch due to their wealth and influence.
The recovery of these assets and cash has been achieved through a more aggressive cross-agency approach, with enforcement agencies sharing information and acting collectively, in contrast to the previous silo approach.
The recovered assets were put into government funds for budget allocations, including the education, defence and health sectors.
Anwar added that the 1MDB recovery effort was continuing, with an additional RM1 billion recently brought back to Malaysia, bringing the total to over RM32.7 billion. Drug seizures worth about RM2 billion were also reported, most of which were destroyed.
He also said that the proposal to channel some of the funds to NGOs involved in anti-drug efforts was a sensible move, and that it would be considered by the government.
