KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 22 -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is moving to dismantle a growing ecosystem of criminal intermediaries who act as "black treasurers" for corrupt civil servants, managing illicit funds and engineering pay-offs within government agencies, New Straits Times reported.

These agents - once viewed as mere fixers - now function as financial managers, strategists and negotiators for crime syndicates seeking to penetrate enforcement bodies.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya said the rise of these agents had entrenched systemic corruption within public agencies.

Their influence, he warned, was "increasingly concerning".

MACC said the role has expanded over several...