KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 12): The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) has called for the immediate suspension of any Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers implicated in Bloomberg’s report alleging collusion with businesspeople to take over local companies.
In a statement on Thursday, the group urged Parliament to debate the matter and called on the Public Accounts Committee as well as the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Election, and Institutional Reform to conduct investigations.
Bloomberg’s report claimed that a “corporate mafia” worked with MACC officers to gain control of companies by pressuring executives, with MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki allegedly involved. C4 said that if these claims are true, they would amount to serious abuses of power and highlighted past and recent reports regarding Azam Baki’s shareholdings.
In a separate statement on Thursday, the MACC denied any influence by private interests, calling the allegations “malicious and unfounded,” and reaffirmed that all investigations are conducted according to law and evidence.
Prior to the report, Azam was already under the spotlight for exceeding prescribed shareholding limits under a 2024 circular on public officials’ conduct in purchasing shares, specifically regarding his 2025 acquisition of Velocity Capital Partner Bhd (KL:VELOCITY) shares. The MACC issued a statement of support on Tuesday, noting that Azam had complied with asset declaration requirements, while Azam has denied wrongdoing over his shareholdings.
C4 also urged the government to accelerate reforms within the MACC, including removing the prime minister’s power to appoint the MACC chief commissioner, strengthening external oversight mechanisms and making operations of the MACC’s “Section D” more transparent.
“In this light, calls for reform are not merely about safeguarding the Commission’s independence, but about ensuring that the MACC has an effective accountability framework — a framework that sufficiently curbs abuse of wide-ranging enforcement powers,” the group said.
C4 further noted that although the MACC is monitored by five oversight bodies, these entities primarily serve advisory roles and lack strong disciplinary authority.