Press Digest - Buying medical chit a form of corruption

PETALING JAYA: Do you know that buying a medical chit to get a sick leave is a form of corruption that can land you in jail?
According to Lee Cheng Teik of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) community education division, the act of buying an MC to cheat one's superior at work amounts to making false claims, a crime under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009.
"Although your MC is genuine (issued by a clinic), you obtained it via corruptible means and submit it to your superior. This is regarded as false claims.You obtained one or two days of sick leave, but you have cheated your superior to obtain personal benefit."
Speaking to Nanyang Siang Pau after attending a closed-door dialogue with representatives from Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Lee said there had been a case in which an employee was convicted on a charge of corruption for submitting bought MC.
He said another common act of false claims is submitting excessive mileage claims.
Lee gave an example of an employee having to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Penang on duty but makes a detour to Ipoh along the way to visit a friend, which is not work-related.
If his claims include the additional mileage incurred from the detour to Ipoh, the excess mileage claimed constitutes false claims.
He pointed out that the employee is the beneficiary of this excess mileage claims, thus an act of corruption has been committed.
He said many people think lightly of making false claims because they believe every other person is doing it and it is happening every day.
He said many are also not aware of the severity of being charged with corruption, thinking they need only pay a fine at the most. "Once convicted under the MACC Act 2009, the penalty is both a fine and a jail term. The record of conviction stays forever."
He urged the public not to believe that they can escape punishment just because the amount involved is small and that such cases are common.