He said the wife could in such a case be considered an accomplice in the crime of graft.

He said under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, a person can be convicted of wrongdoing if she did not ensure the source of wealth obtained by corrupt means, and shared with her by the spouse, he said.

“Therefore, a wife who receives an expensive gift from her husband needs to ask how he got the money to buy that item,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian Online today.

Dzulkifli cited a case in which an ordinary civil servant was found with millions of ringgit in his house.

He said one can question how a wife in such a scenario, who lived under the same roof as the civil servant, would not know about the money.

He said wives played a role in ensuring their husbands did a not get involved in graft by finding out about their spouses’ incomes while also asking them where they got the incomes from.

“A wife needs to ensure when she gets an expensive present to question the husband about where he obtained the money to purchase the item beyond the means of his salary,” Dzulkifli said.

“If she does not do so and when the MACC have done investigations, action can also be taken against her for being an accomplice,” he said.