HANDBOOK-Anti Bribery and Corruption Policy
HANDBOOK-Anti Bribery and Corruption Policy
HANDBOOK-Anti Bribery and Corruption Policy
AND
CORRUPTION
POLICY
REVISION HISTORY
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CONTENTS
1. Introduction
3. Types of Corruption
7. Hiring / Recruitment
8. Procurement
9. Money Laundering
11. Acknowledgment
12. Appendix 1
13. Appendix 2
14. Appendix 3
15. Appendix 4
16. Appendix 5
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1. INTRODUCTION
Supermax Corporation Berhad (“SCB” or the “Company”, SCB and its subsidiaries
collectively known as the “Group”) is committed to conduct our business and
operations in an honest and ethical manner and being compliant with law and
regulatory provisions to control and prevent bribery and corrupt practices.
There shall be zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption in the Group and we
are committed to implement and enforce effective systems to fight against bribery and
corruption through an effective and viable framework of core requirements and a set
of minimum standards.
1.2 Purpose
The purpose of this handbook is to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and
regulations, particularly laws against corruption and bribery in Malaysia and within
the jurisdiction the Group operates.
This handbook sets out the Group’s policies and guiding principles to conduct our
business with integrity, objectivity and high ethical standards. This policy sets out the
minimum standard that must be followed. Where local laws, regulations or rules
impose a higher standard, that higher standard must be followed.
1.3 Scope
This handbook applies to all employees (full and part-time), contract workers,
consultants, officers and directors of the Group in Malaysia and any other countries in
which the Group operates. In addition, we will endeavour to ensure that people acting
on our behalf do also comply with our policy against bribery and corruption.
2.2 Corruption means any unlawful or improper behaviour that seeks to gain an advantage
through illegitimate means. Bribery, abuse of power, extortion, fraud, deception,
collusion, cartels, embezzlement and money laundering are all forms of corruption.
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3. TYPES OF CORRUPTION
Also known as administrative corruption, it involves the exchange of very small amounts of
money and the granting of small favours. However, these can result in considerable public
losses.
It spreads through the highest levels of government, bringing about major abuses of power,
disobedience of the rule of law, economic instability and the breakdown of good governance.
The Group will uphold all laws to counter bribery and corruption in the jurisdictions in which
we operate. (summary of laws for countries other than Malaysia now in force can be found at
Appendix 2)
4.2 Malaysia
For businesses and operations in Malaysia, we are bound to observe all relevant and
applicable laws which include but are not limited to the Malaysian Penal Code, Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and the Criminal Procedure Code which
provides for offences and penalties for private and public sector corruption, including active
and passive bribery, extortion, attempted corruption, abuse of office, corruption through
agents and corruption in procurement process. Facilitation payments are generally considered
akin to bribery payments and thus constitute an offense under the MACC Act. Gifts and
hospitality are regulated under the Malaysian law: Gifts of any value must be declared if the
intention is deemed uncertain. The Anti-Money Laundering Act criminalizes money
laundering and contains provisions for the freezing and seizing of assets obtained through
corruption. The Whistleblower Protection Act came into force in December 2010, but it does
not protect informants who reveal information to a media. Malaysia is a State Party to
the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the UNCAC is the only
legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument against Transnational Organized Crime.
The MACC Act 2009 has been amended with the inclusion of section 17A. The new section
17A, which will come into effect on 1 June 2020, not only establishes a new statutory
corporate liability offence of corruption by a commercial organisation under Malaysian law,
but also deems any director, controller, officer, partner or manager of a commercial
organisation to be personally liable for the same offence if the commercial organisation is
found liable, unless the relevant individual can prove that the offence was committed without
his or her consent, and that he or she had exercised the requisite due diligence to prevent the
commission of the offence. It simply means a director of a company could be prosecuted
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under section 17A if an associated person such as an employee or subcontractor is caught
involved in corruption for the benefit of the company.
The Group recognises that the exchange of business courtesies, such as modest gifts, and
entertainment (including meals, invitations to attend promotional events or parties)
particularly during festive periods is customary and legitimate to create goodwill,
and/or strengthen business and commercial relationships. Such courtesies are allowed if
they are not lavish in the light of accepted business practices of the relevant
businesses that the Group operates in and it is not made with the intention of influencing
the party of whom it is being given, to obtain or reward the retention of a business or a
business advantage, or as an explicit or implicit exchange for favours or benefits.
The Group’s employees may only accept or offer gifts or business courtesies where the
following requirements are met:
iii. they are not intended to exert influence over any third parties or obtain from them
any undue advantage;
iv. they are not intended to obtain or keep a given venture or business advantage;
vii. they would not give rise to any conflict of interest situation; and
viii. they do not violate, in any other manner, the provisions of the Group’s Employee
Handbook.
In addition to the above, each employee must declare, report and seek approval from the
Management should any hospitality, gifts, entertainment and the like, received, exceeds
RM100 per person.
5.2 Any gift or business courtesy received in violation of the foregoing provisions shall
be forthwith returned or rejected. Where the return of the gift or courtesy is not
possible, it shall be delivered to the Management, which will, after issuing the
pertaining receipt, contribute them to a charity.
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6. CHARITABLE AND POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION
The Group does not make contributions to political parties. However, employees are
permitted to make personal political contributions provided declaration is made to the
Management.
Charitable support and donations are acceptable (and indeed are encouraged), whether of in
kind services, knowledge, time, or direct financial contributions. However, all employees
must be careful to ensure that charitable contributions are not used as a scheme to conceal
bribery.
7. HIRING / RECRUITMENT
a. Initial screening will be conducted on the most qualified and suitable candidates;
c. Interview panel / personnel must not be have any relationship with the candidate;
d. Candidates must disclose any known relationship with any employee(s) still
working in the Company;
g. All new employees to undergo induction session on the date of joining the
Company which includes introduction of the Company, terms and conditions of
employment, Company Policy, Employment Handbook, work ethics which
includes but not limited to the Company’s policy on integrity during employment.
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8. PROCUREMENT
8.1 The Group is committed to uphold the highest standard of ethics and integrity in all
aspects of its procurement activities.
8.3 The Companies in the Group must ensure that all procurement activities are in line
with the procurement policies and procedures that are applicable in their respective
jurisdiction, which include:
Due diligence of contractors and suppliers are undertaken before they are even
considered by the Group.
8.4 The Group shall conduct due diligence on prospective contractors and suppliers to
confirm whether or not these external parties have in place anti-bribery
programmes and that they will not engage in any improper practices.
8.5 Screening should be conducted on the company, its directors and top
management through the due diligence process and procedures as established in the
jurisdiction the company is located.
8.6 The scope and extent of the due diligence required will vary depending upon
the circumstances of each proposed transaction.
8.7 The Group shall reserve the right to terminate their services in the event that these
third parties pay bribes or act in a manner which is inconsistent with the Group’s
Anti-Bribery and Corruption Manual.
8.8 If any red flags are raised, these issues must be resolved. If it is not possible then the
company must be barred from being its contractors and/or suppliers.
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9. MONEY LAUNDERING
9.1 Money laundering is a process of converting cash or property derived from criminal
activities to give it a legitimate appearance. It is a process to clean dirty money in
order to disguise its criminal origin.
9.2 The Group strongly objects to practices and involvement related to money laundering,
including dealing in the proceeds of criminal activities.
9.3 Money laundering has a negative effect on the global economic and financial growth
as it diverts resources to unproductive activities and facilitates corruption and crimes.
It could restrain legitimate business and destabilized financial institutions.
9.4 To avoid violating anti-money laundering laws, employees are expected to always
conduct counterparty due diligence to understand their business and background and
to determine the origin and destination of money, property and services.
9.5 Red flags may include but not limited to the following:
10.1 Any employee who knows of, or suspects, a violation of this handbook, is encouraged
to whistle blow or report the concerns through the mechanism set out under the
Group’s Whistle Blowing Policy.
10.2 The provision, protection and procedure of the Whistle Blowing Policy for reporting
of the violations of this handbook are available as Appendix 4 herein. No form of
retribution shall be made against any employee who reports in good faith of any
known or suspected violations. All reports will be treated confidentially.
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11. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
11.1 All employees of the Group are to read and understand the Group’s Anti-Bribery and
Corruption Policy.
11.2 Employees who do not understand the Group’s Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy
will be briefed on the requirements and obligations expected of them in the said
policy.
11.3 If any of the Group’s employee fails to report known or suspected violations,
they may be subject to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
11.4 All employees of the Group are the custodian of the Group’s reputation and must
pledge their individual commitment to adhere to the Group’s Anti-Bribery and
Corruption Policy in writing using the form attached at Appendix 3. Signing the
form at Appendix 3 is the respective employee’s pledge to endorse, embrace and
embody the Group’s Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy in all the business practices
while on gainful employment by the Group.
11.5 At the corporate level, the Group has put in place preventive measures that reinforce
ethical leadership, good governance, transparency, accountability and respect for the
rule of law in their operational procedures. The Group has made a Corporate Integrity
Pledge in the form attached at Appendix 5 voluntarily made a unilateral declaration
against corruption practices and express its resolve to work towards a highly
principled business environment. The Group will uphold the five Anti-Corruption
Principles for Corporations in Malaysia.
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APPENDIX 1
Types Of Corruption
The United Nations Handbook on Practical Anti-Corruption Measures for Prosecutors and
Investigators lists the more commonly encountered forms of corruption, which include:
I. PETTY CORRUPTION
Also known as administrative corruption, it involves the exchange of very small
amounts of money and the granting of small favours. These however, can result in
considerable public losses.
IV. BRIBERY
It is the most common form of corruption. It is described as the act of conferring a
benefit in order to influence an action or decision. It comes in the form of cash,
company shares, inside information, sexual or other favours, entertainment,
employment or future benefits such as a retirement job. The benefit can pass
directly to the person bribed, or indirectly to a third party such as a friend, relative,
associate, favourite charity, private business, political party or election campaign.
Once bribery has occurred, it can lead to other forms of corruption.
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benefit to an official but promote the interests of those linked to the official, be it
through family, political party, tribe or religious group.
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APPENDIX 2
SINGAPORE
The Prevention of Corruption Act
The Prevention of Corruption Act makes it a crime for any person, by himself or together
with any other person, to corruptly give, promise or offer to any person any gratification as an
inducement to or reward for any person doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of any
matter or transaction whatsoever, actual or proposed. The Act specifically prohibits
such payments, promises or offers to any member, officer or servant of a public body.
The Prevention of Corruption Act also makes it a crime for any person, by himself
or in conjunction with any other person, to corruptly solicit or receive, or agree to
receive for himself or for any other person, any gratification as an inducement to or
reward for any person doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of any matter or
transaction, actual or proposed.
The punishment for such offences includes a fine not exceeding $100,000 or imprisonment
for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both.
UNITED KINGDOM
The Bribery Act
The Bribery Act also makes it a criminal offence for companies to fail to prevent
bribery committed by a person "associated with" the Company or intends to obtain or retain
business or an advantage in the conduct of business for the Company. "Associated
persons" can include employees, subsidiaries and third party agents, and anyone else
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who performs services for the Company. The only defence is to show that the
Company had "adequate procedures" to prevent the bribery from taking place.
All offences under the Bribery Act are punishable by unlimited fines for companies
and individuals. Individuals may also be subject to an imprisonment term of up to ten years.
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or commonly known as the FCPA generally applies to US
"issuers" and "domestic concerns." The definition of "issuers" includes all US and non-US
companies that list shares on a US stock exchange (e.g., NYSE or NASDAQ) as well as any
company that has Level 1 or Level II American Depository Receipts (ADR) programmes.
(1) any individual who is a citizen, national, or resident of the US; and
All of the Group's US operations, and US employees are domestic concerns and subject to the
jurisdiction of the FCPA.
In addition, non-US persons can be held liable for FCPA violations if they cause an act to be
done in the US by any person acting as the agent of the non-US person.
The FCPA prohibits individuals and entities from knowingly paying money or giving
anything of value to a (i) government official outside the US (i.e., a "foreign official"), or (ii)
any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office in
order to obtain or retain business or secure an improper advantage. The FCPA specifically
prohibits the following conduct:
(3) with the intention of corruptly influencing such official to obtain or retain
business or to otherwise secure any improper business advantage.
A "foreign official" for purposes of liability under the FCPA includes officials elected
or appointed to a government position, government ministers, employees of government
agencies or offices, and employees of state-owned entities, including commercial entities that
are partly owned by the state.
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The FCPA prohibits such payments, promises or offers when they are made directly
or indirectly through agents, partners, representatives, distributors or other authorized parties.
In certain situations, the FCPA does provide an exception for so-called "facilitation
payments", i.e. facilitating or expediting payment to a foreign official, political party, or party
official, the purpose of which is to expedite or to secure the performance of a
routine governmental action by a foreign official, political party, or party official. However,
please note that the Group's policy does not allow any such payments.
The FCPA is a criminal statute. A fine for a single violation may cost a company up to US$2
million and violations are often aggregated. Individuals may be sent to prison for up to five
years and subject to fines of up to US$100,000 per violation.
CANADA
Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act
Foreign bribery under Canadian law is governed by the Corruption of Foreign Public
Officials Act (“CFPOA”) which makes it an offence to: i) directly or indirectly give, offer or
agree to give or offer any form of advantage or benefit to a foreign public official to obtain an
advantage in the course of business; or ii) engage in certain accounting practices where those
practices are employed for the purpose of bribing a foreign public official or concealing a
bribe.
Domestic bribery and corruption is governed under the Criminal Code which prohibits
various forms of corruption including bribery of various officials, frauds on the government,
breach of trust by a public officer and secret commissions, as well as various corrupt
accounting and record-keeping practices.
Foreign companies and individuals are subject to the corruption offences in either the CFPOA
or the Criminal Code if the offence is deemed to have taken place in Canada.
Both individuals and companies can be held liable under Canada’s anti-corruption laws and
may be subject to significant fines and maximum jail terms ranging between 5 to 14 years.
Companies will be held liable where the act was committed with the knowledge of a “senior
officer”, as defined under the Criminal Code. Case laws have established this includes
individuals responsible for managing an important aspect of an organisation’s activities,
including middle management.
BRAZIL
Clean Company Act
Brazil’s Clean Company Act 2014 holds companies responsible for the corrupt acts of their
employees and introduces strict liability for those offences, meaning a company can be liable
without a finding of fault. The Act provides strict civil and administrative penalties but no
criminal penalties for companies. However, the Criminal Code establishes domestic criminal
offences.
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Prohibited Conduct
Penalties for companies under the Act include fines of up to 20% of a company’s gross
revenue from the previous year or suspension or dissolution of a company. Importantly,
prosecutors are not required to prove a company’s representatives acted with criminal or
corrupt intent, and companies are not afforded a legal defence for implementing ‘adequate
procedures’ to prevent corrupt acts.
HONG KONG
The Prevention Of Bribery Ordinance
Hospitality restrictions
3 particular features of the POBO affect the offer and receipt of gifts, entertainment, travel
and training:
Where the recipient is duly authorised, usually no offence is committed by either the
offeror or recipient.
The POBO specifically carves out the provision of food and drink-based
entertainment as a permissible exception.
If given in a purely private or personal context (ie, not on account of the recipient's
role or office), the benefit is unlikely to contravene the POBO.
Outside these circumstances, offering such benefits as a direct reward or to develop goodwill
and retain a general favourable disposition has the potential to violate the POBO.
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The surrounding circumstances must always be assessed to determine whether gifts,
hospitality, travel and training are in fact bribes. The POBO provides no de
minimis exceptions and it is unlikely that the 'triviality' of a benefit would prevent it from
being judged to be an advantage. Factors to take into account in determining whether an
advantage constitutes a bribe include:
JAPAN
Unfair Competition Prevention Act
The Unfair Competition Prevention Act (UCPA) addresses bribery of foreign public
officials. The UCPA applies to: (i) an individual of any nationality, if the violation is
committed in Japan; (ii) a Japanese national who offers a bribe to any foreign official
regardless of where such conduct occurs.
The UCPA may also have application to an entity whose representative, agent or employee
has engaged in the above types of conduct.
The Penal Code addresses bribery of both Japanese and foreign public officials. The Penal
Code applies to: (i) an individual of any nationality, if the violation is committed in Japan;
(ii) a Japanese national who offers a bribe to any public official (whether that official is
Japanese or foreign) regardless of where such conduct occurs. The Penal Code, in this
context, only applies to individuals (this would include representatives, agents and
employees), however does not apply to the entity itself.
Article 198 concerns the offer, promise, or actual giving of a bribe by an individual in Japan
or Japanese national outside of Japan as defined in Articles 197-197(4) of the Penal Code.
The penalty for a violation of Article 198 can be as high as imprisonment with labour (up to
three (3) years) or a fine of ¥2.5 million for the public official.
Article 967 of the Corporations Act addresses the crime of bribery as it relates to officers,
managers, auditors and others with authority to make business decisions for a relevant entity.
However, Article 967 of the Corporations Act requires a "wrongful request" as an element to
establish such crime. A "wrongful request" constitutes a situation where a request for highly
unreasonable conduct has been made.
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events and/or receipt of gifts from others would not generally be considered criminal so long
as these activities fall within a socially acceptable scope. In the case of very extreme conduct
there is some potential for them to be dealt with under the provisions of the Corporations Act
and the Penal Code, as mentioned above.
In those cases, the party that provided the benefit may then possibly face potential
prosecution as an accomplice.
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As an employee, contract worker, consultant, officer or director, you are required to read and
understand our Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, and acknowledge that you have done so
and will comply with it.
I shall fully abide by the laws, rules, regulations, procedures and policies
Against enforced in the country I work in.
Name: …………………………………………………………………………
Position: …………………………………………………………………………
Signature: …………………………………………………………………………
Date: …………………………………………………………………………
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APPENDIX 4
1.0 POLICY
Supermax Group's whistle blowing policy is aimed at protecting the integrity, transparency,
impartiality and accountability where Supermax Group conducts business operations. The
whistle blowing policy provides a structured reporting channel and guidance to all employees
and external parties to whistle blow without the fear of victimization
2.0 PREAMBLE
Supermax Group conducts business based on the principle of fairness, honesty, openness,
decency, integrity and respect.
The Group's internal control and operating systems are intended to detect and to prevent or
deter improper or illegal activities. However, even the best system of control cannot provide
absolute safeguard against
irregularities, improper or illegal activities.
The Group, therefore has the responsibility to investigate and report to appropriate parties,
allegation of suspected improper or illegal activities and take appropriate actions.
Hence, employees and third parties are encouraged to use the guidance provided by the
Whistle blower Policy to report all allegation of suspected misconduct, irregularities or
improper and illegal activities.
The procedures govern the reporting and investigation of improper or illegal activities at
Supermax Group as well as the protection offered to the "whistle blower".
It, however, does not apply or change the Company's policies and procedures for individual
employee grievances or complaints relating to job performance, terms and conditions of
employment, which will continue to be administered and reviewed by Supermax Group
Human Capital, Operations and Administration Department.
4.0 DEFINITIONS
4.1 Whistleblower
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The whistle blower's role is as a reporting party. They are not, investigators or finders of
facts, nor do they determine the appropriate corrective or remedial action that may be
warranted.
Good faith is evidence when a report is made without malice or consideration of personal
benefit and the whistle blower has a reasonable basis to believe that the report is true,
provided, however, a report does not have to be proven to be true to be made in good faith.
Good faith is lacking when the disclosure is known to be malicious or false.
Example of misconduct includes, but not limited to theft, corruption, breaches, fraud
including financial fraud and accounting fraud, behaviour that is not in line with the
Company value, attempted acts of interference, retaliation, threats, reprisal, coercion or
intimidation, violation of law and regulations, unethical behaviour or practices, endangering
to public health or safety, violation of Company's policies, and negligence of duty alike.
5.0 PROCEDURES
The Company presumes that whistle blowers will act in good faith and will not make false
accusation when reporting of misconduct by the Company's employees.
• Any person may report allegations of suspected serious misconduct or any breach or
suspected breach of law or regulation that may adversely impact the Company, the
Company customers, shareholders, employees, investors or the public at large.
• All reports can be sent directly to the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director,
Director, Chairman of the Audit Committee, Head of Human Capital Department, and
Head of Internal Audit Department.
The common contact address is as detailed below :- Lot 38, Putra Industrial Park, Bukit
Rahman Putra, 40160 Sungai Buloh, Selangor Darul Ehsan.
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In case of reports sent through email, it is recommended to use the contact address detailed
below:-
whistle@supermax.com.my
Although the whistle blower is not expected to prove the truth of an allegation, he or she
needs to demonstrate to the person contacted that there are sufficient grounds for concern.
Should a report involves or implicates the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief
Executive Officer will promptly recuse himself from the investigation and inform the
Chairman of the Audit Committee in writing. The Audit Committee may thereafter
promptly appoint impartial attorneys to investigate the report. Those attorneys will
conduct an investigation of the report and report their conclusion to the Audit
Committee consistent with the Whistle blowing Policy.
Consistent with the policies of the Company, the Chief Executive Officer, the Audit
Committee, the directors and the Company's management will not retaliate or attempt to
retaliate, and will not tolerate any retaliation or attempted retaliation by any other person or
group, directly or indirectly, against anyone who, in good faith, makes a report or provided
assistance to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chairman of the Audit Committee or the
Company management or any other persons or group, including any governmental, regularity
or law enforcement body, investigating or otherwise helping to resolve a report.
7.0 RECORDS
The Head of Human Capital Department will retain on a strictly confidential basis for a
period of 7 years all records relating to any report and the investigation to its resolution. All
such reports are classified privileged and confidential.
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APPENDIX 5
Recognizing that:
Work together with its business partners, regulators and law enforcement
agencies to create a business environment that is free from corruption, and
on …………………………………….
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