SIRIM Berhad





JOINT MEDIA RELEASE 


  


WORLD'S BEST PRACTICES ISO 37001 ANTI-BRIBERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS MAKES ECONOMY MORE SUSTAINABLE

 

KUALA LUMPUR, 13 AUGUST 2020: The Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) and SIRIM QAS International Sdn. Bhd. have jointly organised a forum on “Breaking the Chain of Corruption through ABMS for Economic Sustainability" today.
The forum which featured panellists who are leading corporate figures and experts in the field of corruption aimed to provide updates on the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP), highlight how ABMS can help local businesses achieve sustainable growth, share the experiences of Top Glove Corporation Berhad on taking a stand against corruption and bribery, and share findings on an impact study on ABMS certified organisations.

“Corruption is damaging for local businesses and ultimately, our national economy. Corrupt practices threaten business sustainability as they increase the costs of doing business and in the long term, customers, suppliers and investors would rather do business with well-governed and reputable firms," said Academician Tan Sri Dr. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali, Chairman of SIRIM.

“World's best practices, ISO 37001 (ABMS) aims to improve systems and workflows by enforcing corporate governance. It will boost the level of confidence towards the country, making the economy more diversified by creating a healthy and competitive environment," he added.

The implementation of the Corporate Liability provision under the new Section 17A of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 (Amendment 2018) on 1 June 2020, makes corporations liable to prosecution for corruption.

Tan Sri Dr. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali said businesses and organisations should implement ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS) as an effective defence mechanism to manage corruption risks and to demonstrate that they have adequate procedures to prevent persons associated with the commercial organisation from undertaking corrupt practices.

ISO 37001:2016 is based on internationally recognised good practices and it specifies the requirements and provides guidance in designing, implementing, maintaining and improving organisations' anti-bribery management system, which helps to prevent, detect and respond to bribery while adhering to the MACC Act 2009 (Act 694) and other anti-corruption laws and regulations, he said.

Puan Nor'afiza Saim, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) presented findings from a study which focused on the effectiveness of the implementation of ABMS. The study, which was conducted by IIM and Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), had nine (9) organisations participating, all who had been certified with ISO 37001 since 2017. The study revealed that ABMS is an effective tool to improve the organisation's culture of integrity, governance and anti-corruption, reputation and the commitment of its top management and governing body.

SIRIM QAS International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIRIM Berhad is the first and only certification body to be accredited by the Department of Standards Malaysia to offer ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems certification. SIRM QAS International is currently offering 20% rebate on ABMS certification fees until December 2020.

Certification from SIRIM QAS International provides confidence to customers and stakeholders that the certified organisation is adopting best practices in managing bribery risks. Currently, 60 organisations have been certified under the ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems certification scheme.

Featured in the forum were four panellists Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, Director General of the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption; Tan Sri Dr. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali, Chairman of SIRIM Berhad; Dato' Lee Kim Meow, Managing Director of Top Glove Corporation Bhd; Puan Nor'afiza Saim, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity and moderated by Encik Mohd Azanuddin Salleh, Chief Executive Officer of SIRIM QAS International Sdn. Bhd. 



Panellists from left : Puan Nor’afiza Saim, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity; Tan Sri Dr. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali, Chairman of SIRIM Berhad;  Encik Mohd Azanuddin Salleh, Chief Executive Officer of SIRIM QAS International Sdn. Bhd; Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, Director General of the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption and  Dato’ Lee Kim Meow, Managing Director of Top Glove Corporation Bhd.