A total of 54 percent of civil servants found guilty of corruption are under the age of 40, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) says.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Shamsun Baharin Mohd Jamil said that younger civil servants are more susceptible to corruption, to meet their lifestyle demands.

"We have cases where junior government officers and clerks can afford to buy the latest iPhone models and drive expensive cars.

"Their flashy lifestyle does not match their measly pay as young officers and administrative assistants under the government pay scale," the New Straits Times reported Shamsun Baharin as saying at a forum in Putrajaya today.

MACC deputy chief commissioner Azam Baki said 548 civil servants have been detained for corruption as of February this year.

Last year, a total of 665 civil servants were nabbed for graft-related offences, Azam said, prompting the MACC to set a three-year target to clean up the civil service.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob, who graced the event, said 80 percent of ministry staff in sensitive positions are rotated, in order to curb corruption.

They include the director-general and the undersecretaries for finance, development and facilities, who can only hold the posts for a maximum six years, he said.

"Integrity is our main agenda in the ministry," Ismail was quoted as saying.

Last month, Rural and Regional Ministry Development Ministry secretary-general Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and his son Ahmad Zukhairi were charged with corruption involving RM627,833.