This study aims to examine the causal relationships between the elements of the fraud diamond theory (FDT) consist of pressure, opportunity, rationalization, capability, and the effects on perceived corruption in Malaysia. A national survey was conducted using a face-to-face approach, involving 2,042 Malaysian respondents selected through stratified random sampling based on the population of all 14 states in Malaysia. For analysis, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was adopted and executed using SmartPLS 3.0 to analyze the results and test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that the FDT components significantly influence corruption activities in Malaysia. Specifically, pressure, opportunity and capability demonstrate a significant direct effect on corruption activities, whereas rationalization does not. These findings later were used as an input in the development of the latest Malaysian National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2024–2028.
Kamaruddin et al. (Tue,) studied this question.