Serious about Fraud: Malaysia’s Reformed Auditing and Governance

The first day of the 37th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, held in Boston, Massachusetts and virtually, began with a keynote from Her Excellency Dato’ Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi, Auditor General of Malaysia. In the wake of FIFA fans celebrating France’s recent win against Morocco in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, Wan Suraya quipped to the room of professional fraud fighters before her, “Boston is the place to be where people take red flags seriously.” 

She noted the level of responsibility anti-fraud professionals have in the work they do. “Spotting a red flag is only the beginning,” she told conference attendees. She explained that the role of fraud fighters, including good auditors, is to follow evidence wherever it leads and to take seriously the trust that’s placed in them. 

Wan Suraya is the recipient of the 2026 Cressey Award, the ACFE’s highest honor awarding a lifetime of achievement in the detection and deterrence of fraud. She conveyed to the audience a “deep gratitude” for receiving the award, recognizing that it represents all “auditors who enter difficult engagements without fanfare.” While she received recognition for her anti-fraud work today, she acknowledges “public service is always the work of many.” 

In her role as Auditor General, Wan Suraya and her team of auditors protect Malaysia’s public funds. She said they “dissect complex financial anomalies” as part of “Malaysia’s unwavering commitment to good governance.” The National Audit Department (NAD) is celebrating 120 years of service in what Wan Suraya said is a “continuation of tradition,” fitting for the city hosting them at this year’s conference.  

Keeping in line with upholding tradition and promoting good governance, NAD has been anchoring assessments in core auditing principles and reforming national governance practices to identify red flags and address fraud issues before they escalate. “Response isn’t only about administration,” said Wan Suraya. She told attendees that it’s essential to see risks before they become issues. 

Wan Suraya reflected on her time at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., where she enjoyed studying criminology and earned a Bachelor of Laws degree. She was fascinated to consider why trust is broken and what causes people to make unethical decisions. She explained that this shaped how she sees accountability. “An interest first sparked in university became a lifelong commitment to protect public trust,” said Wan Suraya. 

NAD demonstrates this commitment through its many recent reforms, including amendments that expand audit jurisdiction to government-linked companies (GLCs) that have never been audited before. NAD also has a mandate to conduct follow-up audits. “Public money may leave the government, but it shouldn’t leave the public eye,” Wan Suraya told conference attendees. 

She explained, “accountability is achieved when institutions change.” Part of Malaysia’s reformed audit process has been monitoring issues once they’ve been identified to ensure that necessary corrections take place. “The real test comes after the report,” she noted. The Auditor General’s dashboard, a public platform that monitors the implementation of follow-up actions from audit findings, has incorporated discipline, visibility and accounting into this process. “Fraud evolves; audit should evolve faster,” said Wan Suraya. 

She called the audience to actively encourage other professionals to work together and foster a “collaborative spirit.” She noted that receiving the Dr. Donald R. Cressey Award is a “reminder that the work continues,” as Malaysia, alongside the ACFE, fights fraud with increased precision and intelligence with the help of advanced technology, as well as integrity. “Integrity ultimately begins with human choices,” she said, and those are the choices fraud fighters will continue to make as they protect the people they serve.