DAP lawmaker Teo Nie Ching has urged the criminalisation of unexplainable wealth among government officials.

"Being rich is of course not a sin.

"However, as an office-bearer in government, it is important to be transparent as to the source of the fortune, so that people are assured that politicians do not abuse their power and position to accumulate and build wealth," she said in a statement today.

Teo was responding to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) revelation yesterday that half of all graft-related arrests of those aged under 40 were civil servants.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil said their "flashly lifestyle did not match their measly pay as young officers and administrative assistants under the government pay scale".