The grand anti-corruption sweep in Sabah is but proof that the cancer of corruption has eaten into the very core of this nation.

Jailed former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement today it was incredulous that such huge amounts, as revealed in the Sabah operations, could take place unnoticed by the top leaders.

"Imagine if officers of the Sabah Water Department can amass funds up to RM200 million, isn't this a sign of the rotten governance and management of the federal government?"

Anwar said an Umno politician's claim RM3.3 billion funds from Putrajaya to the water department bypassed the state government raises serious questions.

"How could this have happened without the knowledge of the respective Sabah minister?

"Therefore, this incident only proves that the practice of corruption is severe and continues to fester in our beloved country," the PKR de facto leader added.

Anwar nevertheless congratulated the MACC on their success in the Sabah operations and urged the commission to continue their investigations with haste.

However, he said the people are still waiting for MACC to reveal its investigations into those involved in allegations of the “Stealing of RM16 billion, especially after the case was filed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ)”.

He said without MACC’s firm action on this matter, the impression is that of manipulating and abusing the laws for selective action.