“I want to make them bankrupt and this can be a ‘scare factor’ to make them think twice before committing crimes related to corruption,” he told Bernama.

Azam said MACC operations are now more focused on arresting corrupt offenders, prosecuting them in court and bankrupting them.

“This year alone, we repatriated RM1.3 billion in criminal assets and that money was handed back to the government,” he said.

“If all law enforcement agencies work together cohesively, we can confiscate the stolen properties of such criminals.”

He said the legal provisions under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 allow MACC to confiscate assets from criminals and return the stolen proceeds to the government.

Such efforts require a high level of knowledge and expertise from investigative and forensic officers.

“Imagine if corrupt criminals park their properties with a ‘proxy’. Therefore, our investigative and intelligence approach must be robust and empowered.

“When investigating any person, we need to identify assets that have been disposed of, or whether they have been channelled to a third party so that we can ensure these assets are returned,” he said.

Drawing the example of 1MDB, he said MACC’s hard work in collaborating with other agencies bore fruit because RM29 billion of the principal loss of RM42 billion was returned to the government.

Azam said MACC has set up task forces in other agencies like Bank Negara Malaysia, the customs department and the police to share expertise.

He said the commission also plays a role in prevention and community education through mainstream media and campaigns on social media.