Ku Nan’s acquittal a blow in fight against money politics, says C4

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: A Court of Appeal verdict that quashed the conviction of a former minister for receiving RM2 million from a businessman is a major blow to the fight against money politics, an anti-graft group said.

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) said the verdict was a major blow in the fight against money politics, which is predicated on the close links between businessmen and politicians.

“Even if the RM2 million was for the by-elections, it far exceeds how much a candidate is allowed to spend in a campaign under the Election Offences Act 1954,” it said in a statement today.

It said, already there was little oversight, if any, on the massive amounts of money channelled from the business sector into the political system under the pretext of “political donations”.

“C4 Center is extremely concerned that this decision will embolden politicians to consolidate their links with businessmen and cement the practice of political donations even further,” it said.

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