Sabah MACC proposes seven governance reforms for Area Fishermen’s Associations to prevent misuse of personal advance funds, focusing on dedicated accounts and stricter reporting.
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has issued seven recommendations to strengthen financial governance within Area Fishermen’s Associations.
The proposals target the management of personal advances given to the associations’ general managers by the Sabah branch of the Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority.
Sabah MACC director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah said the recommendations aim to ensure accountability through good governance principles.
A key proposal is the creation of a dedicated bank account for receiving and using personal advances under the designation of the general manager’s post.
Another recommendation calls for clear LKIM guidelines on these advances and a requirement for managers to submit expenditure reports with receipts within seven days of a programme’s end.
Other measures include enhanced monitoring and review of how personal advances are used for each PNK programme.
The MACC also suggested amending an existing registrar’s circular to clarify that a ‘personal advance’ is a cheque issued to a manager for cashing, solely for specific project expenses.
“The circular should also clearly state that personal advances must not be deposited into the personal bank accounts of general managers,” Mohd Fuad said.
He stated the recommendations follow preliminary investigations into cases where advance funds for programmes were deposited into managers’ personal accounts.
The identified weaknesses could create opportunities for abuse of power and misappropriation if not addressed.
