PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA: Malaysia has been lauded for making good progress in combating corruption.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) deputy secretary-general Mario Amano said the country had taken positive steps in nipping the problem in the bud.

"We are pleased with Malaysia's progress. Treating bribe-receiving and bribe-giving as crimes and imposing tough jail sentences and fines for individuals and companies are steps in the right direction," he said recently.

Enforcement efforts by the Malay?sian Anti-Corruption Com?mission (MACC), he added, had helped make Malaysia one the leaders in the region in fighting bribery.

"Effective criminalisation of bribery must become a standard practice in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

The Government's efforts to combat corruption include setting up a public "name and shame" database, compliance units, a MyProcurement portal, and an integrity pact between government and vendors to enhance transparency.

As of Wednesday, 195 names of convicted corruptors were listed on the database available on the MACC website.

The website also stated that 605 individuals had been arrested for corruption-related offences as of last month of which 32% were civil servants, Fighting corruption is part of the Government's six National Key Result Areas.

Meanwhile, Asian Development Bank (ADB) South-East Asia director-general Kunio Senga said that corruption sabotaged policies and programmes that aimed to reduce poverty and promote economic growth and development.

Malaysia, he added, had actively participated in the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific region since its establishment in 1999.

Both Amano and Senga were in town recently for the Initiative's 10th regional seminar on the criminalisation of bribery.