AP;APS:

AP;APS: ANPAu..r.. AGlance-Malaysia-corruption Minister resigns over graft deal JP/11/J01 Minister resigns over graft deal MALAYSIA: A Malaysian minister has resigned after being charged with an illegal share deal, falling victim to a major anti- corruption drive launched by new Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Kasitah Gaddam, the land and cooperative development minister, handed in his resignation on Tuesday just before Abdullah left on an official visit to Iran. Abdullah announced it to journalists traveling with him.

Abdullah told journalists that Kasitah, who is free on 1 million ringgit (US$262,000) bail, left office to concentrate on fighting the charges the charges against him. He has pleaded innocent.

Kasitah was charged last Thursday with two counts of corruption involving the sale of shares valued at up to 40 million ringgit (US$10.5 million) in a plantation company held by the Sabah Land Development Board, which he chairs.

Kasitah is the highest-ranking official to fall under the anti-corruption drive that Abdullah launched after taking office Oct. 31 from the long-serving Mahathir Mohamad, who was frequently accused of allowing cronyism to flourish during his 22-year rule.

Abdullah pledged on Wednesday that he was committed to rooting out corruption and not merely implementing a gimmick to win support ahead of general elections, widely expected to be called in the next few months.

"I am as committed as ever to root out corruption, because it is a cancer that destroys society," Abdullah was quoted by the Malaysian news agency, Bernama, as telling Iranian media. --AP