HSE University Anti-Corruption Portal
Malaysia Plans to Use Polygraph to Interrogate Corrupt Actors

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is introducing the use of polygraph in investigations of corruption offences.

This method of work is aimed at optimizing the operational search activities due to the ever more complex and cross-border character of corruption crimes, as well as the active use of digital technologies by offenders.

The offences the investigation of which may involve the use of a polygraph are:

  • Corruption;
  • Abuse of power;
  • Embezzlement/misappropriation.

In the opinion of the MACC Chief Commissioner, the accuracy rate of a polygraph test can arrive at 97 per cent; by using this technology, the Commission will be able to receive the necessary information, including evidence, and solve cases in a more effective manner.

In order to introduce the use of the polygraph, the MACC has established a special group consisting of at least 16 officers who have successfully received accreditation as polygraph examiners. It is for the first time that the country undertakes this sort of accreditation with the support of the American Polygraph Association. It is envisaged that this kind of training will be subsequently conducted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy.

To ensure that the special group operates efficiently, the MACC has also provided it with modern and advanced tools necessary to undertake polygraph tests.


Malaysia is not the first country whose law enforcement employs polygraph tests in investigations of corruption and other offences. This instrument has been used, for example, in Kenya to search for those responsible for embezzlement of public funds amounting to eight billion KES (roughly 62 million USD), in Romania, in the investigation into bribery of a former deputy governor of the Central Bank, and in Ukraine, to identify the members of the Finance, Tax and Customs Policies Committee of the Verkhovna Rada responsible of taking bribes.

In some countries, polygraph tests are an obligatory part of the recruitment process in specific public bodies. In Moldova for example, a candidate to a position of judge or prosecutor, or a post in the Ministry of the Interior, National Anti-Corruption Centre, State Protection Service, Information and Security Service and Customs Service shall undergo a polygraph test under Law of 12 December 2008 No. 269 “On Tests on Detector of Simulation (Polygraph)” (Lege Nr. 269 din 12-12-2008 privind aplicarea testării la detectorul comportamentului simulat (poligraf)). Similar measures are used in most US law enforcement bodies.

Additionally, polygraph testing can be a part of integrity verifications of actual holders of positions. In Peru for instance, the use of a polygraph is a form to check control and reliability (prueba de control y confianza) of policemen and civil servants of the Ministry of the Interior under Legislative Decree No. 1291 “On Adoption of Instruments to Counter Corruption in Internal Sector” (Decreto legislativo nº 1291 que aprueba herramientas para la lucha contra la corrupción en el sector interior). This sort of testing makes it possible to evaluate the psychophysiological reaction of the person assessed to the questions of the questionnaire with the aim to verify the reliability of the information provided; however, it can be undertaken only with consent of the employee.

As per the data provided by researchers, the polygraph is used in a way or another in over 70 countries.

At the same time, the effectiveness of polygraph testing is a matter of debate in academic and legal circles.

The idea of employment of a polygraph is based on the fact that the physiological reactions it registers, i.e. blood pressure, breathing, levels of sweating, skin tension and muscle contractions, cannot be controlled by a man, which means that in case of deception the perpetrator betrays himself against his own will.

However, the findings of research on the effectiveness of this technology are controversial.

The proponents of the use of a polygraph – the American Polygraph Association (see Polygraph Validity Research), a number of conceptual researchers (see, for instance, here, here and here), and law enforcement bodies stress that the total accuracy rate of a polygraph, depending on the type of testing, ranges between 60 and 90 per cent.

At the same time, the opponents of polygraph testing point to the lack of sufficient scientific background confirming the effectiveness of such testing (see, for example, here) and high risks of errors in polygraph testing (see, for instance, here and here).

Moreover, the opponents of the use of polygraphs believe that the guilty subject to the testing can get prepared to it, in particular, by working out possible breathing manipulations or learning how to increase physiological reactions to the control questions thereby successfully passing it, whereas the innocent can deliver false positive results, for example, due to some mental disorders, consumption of a number of medications, unstable emotional condition during the test, including the stress caused by the very fact of testing or other circumstances.

Some scholars also stress that the human factor can have an important impact on the outcome of testing: the results are directly dependent on the specific polygraph examiner who will interpret the data received, including whether he/she is prone to corruption.

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