KUCHING: A taskforce needs to be set up to tackle serious issues involving misconduct and integrity more effectively, Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) chairman Tan Sri Dr Ismail Bakar said.

He added that the taskforce could be set up involving various agencies including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) under Act 700 to investigate large-scale misconduct of public interest.

"Investigations will be conducted jointly, comprehensively and openly and avoid time wastage, allowing stern action to be taken to stop leakages and misconduct.

"Don't assume that the EAIC is just to complicate matters, we actually do investigate allegations about them (enforcement officers with integrity who are accused of misconduct)," he told reporters after the EAIC's Encouraging Responsibility Accountability Trustworthiness (Erat) programme in Kota Samarahan today, which was launched by Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang.

Ismail said the taskforce would have wider powers to investigate in a more transparent manner to ensure every complaint bears merit, whether for improvement or legal action.

EAIC is a federal statutory body set up through a Parliamentary Act under Section 3 of the EAIC Act 2009 that was gazetted on Sept 3, 2009 and came into effect on April 1, 2011.