OPENING REMARKSYAMASHITA Terutoshi *Honourable Datuk Hj. Mustafar bin Hj. Ali,
Deputy Chief Commissioner of Preventionof the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC),
Honourable Mrs. Thilagavathy S. Thamboo,
Deputy Director of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Academy,
honourable guests, distinguished experts and participants, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to announce the opening of the Eighth
Regional Seminar on Good Governance for Southeast Asian Countries. I would like to extend
my heartfelt welcome to our honourable guests, distinguished speakers and participants who
have come to join this significant forum.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to theGovernment of Malaysia, especially to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and theMalaysia Anti-Corruption Academy, for their great contribution and assistance in co-hosting
this seminar.
The main theme of this seminar is “Current Issues in the Investigation, Prosecution andAdjudication of Corruption Cases”. It is often said that the most effective measure toeradicate corruption is exhaustive exposure and proper punishment of offenders who havecommitted corruption crimes. It is also said that proper punishment of offenders punishes one
while warning hundreds. As a result, the public recognizes that corruption never pays off,
which in turn builds trust in the criminal justice system and encourages the public tocooperate with law enforcement. To eradicate corruption, it is extremely important that wereinforce this cycle.
However, when turned around, this means that failing to vigorously enforce
anti-corruption laws will result in a vicious cycle that will exacerbate corruption: the lack ofpublic trust will lead to a lack of cooperation with law enforcement officials, and the criminal
justice system will be undermined as corruption goes unchecked. Therefore, as professionals
and government officials within our several criminal justice systems, our responsibility toeliminate corruption is very serious, and we must improve enforcement by enhancing ourability to investigate and prosecute corruption cases.
The United Nations Convention against Corruption seeks global harmonization ofanti-corruption efforts. Eleven years have passed since the convention was adopted by the*Director, United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment ofOffenders.

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attorneys around the world have made tremendous efforts to eradicate corruption, and they
have achieved magnificent results. However, criminals continually devise new methods tocommit crime, and they exploit technical loopholes to avoid enforcement. Consequently,
various new problems have arisen in the investigation, prosecution and adjudication ofcorruption cases. These problems weigh heavily on law enforcement officers and government
attorneys.
Many of the root causes of corruption are similar; despite the many differences in legal
regimes, we are very likely to be facing many of the same problems in each of ourcountries—especially the cross-border nature of corruption. In order to combat corruption,
we should share valuable lessons derived from our experiences, discussing not only bestpractices but also examples of failure, the causes of such failure and effective
countermeasures to make sure that past mistakes are not repeated.
Before closing, I would like to applaud the co-hosting Malaysian Government for its
strong commitment to fight corruption. Malaysia has adopted “Wawasan 2020” (whichtranslates as “Vision 2020”). One of the goals stated in this vision is to establish “a fully
moral and ethical society”. In addition, the National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) of theGovernment place importance on “Fighting Corruption”, and the Key Performance Indicators(KPI) identify the eradication of corruption as one of the nation’s goals. Finally, Malaysia is
well known for its diversity in race, culture, religion, language and cuisine—and formaintaining harmony among them. Therefore, Malaysia is a very suitable place to discuss
corruption issues among our diverse group of criminal justice professionals from variouscountries.
I hope this seminar will strengthen international cooperation and help each participant
clear higher hurdles in the investigation of corruption cases in the future. Thank you verymuch for your attention.

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