Among the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goal sixteen is about building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels, which is essential. This article examines the application of the Ethics Triangle model in influencing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) to embrace SDG 16. This model allows the user to test a course of action against three ethical approaches: principles, virtues, and consequences. Applying the Ethics Triangle to a situation allows a greater understanding of complicated ethical decisions. Consistent ethical decision-making by public officers leads to achieving SDG 16. A quantitative survey was conducted on 250 MACC officers using two-stage sampling techniques. The measurement items were adapted from the Unified Normative Ethics Theory. This study employed descriptive analyses, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression to validate the proposed model. Despite numerous anti-corruption studies, this study contributes by filling the lacuna in MACC’s anti-corruption efforts, directly contributing to achieving SDG 16. The results showed that virtue, principles, and consequences significantly affect the role of MACC in enhancing the application of SDG 16. This study found that principles are the leading element. Virtues and consequences complement the guidance of anti-corruption officers’ ethical decisions to achieve peace, justice, and strong institutions in Malaysia. The interaction of the Ethical Triangle elements in a decision of an officer emphasised that virtue and consequences align with the principles an officer follows.

Keywords: Anti-corruption; ethics triangle; Malaysian public administration; Sustainable Development Goals; SDG16

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