KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): Civil group Bersih has called into question the fairness of investigations into Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Tan Sri Azam Baki after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar criticised the group for calling for Azam’s resignation before investigations into him are completed.
Bersih and other civil groups have criticised the investigation into Azam for focusing only on his share ownership and ignoring a larger scandal involving alleged collusion with businessmen to take over companies. They have also questioned Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar’s role in leading the probe, given his previous action of withdrawing charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi despite the court finding enough evidence to proceed (establishing prima facie).
“If this is the situation and the individual who will lead the investigation into Azam, how does Anwar expect the public to have confidence in the sincerity and transparency of the investigation?” it quizzed in a statement on Friday.
“In fact, we would like to ask: to whom will this committee ultimately be accountable once the investigations conclude? Will it be to the prime minister himself, who has already extended Azam’s contract three times despite having been one of his harshest critics in 2022?” it added.
On Friday, Anwar said it was unfair for Bersih to make statements which are not “Bersih” (clean) about MACC and Azam’s resignation before the investigation committee released its report.
Bersih on Thursday raised serious concerns over the MACC, accusing it of straying from its anti-graft mandate and being used for political intimidation, including the public targeting of James Chai Jin Shern, a former aide to Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
The group criticised the MACC for ignoring internal corruption, harassing journalists, and framing legitimate investigations as foreign interference, noting that public confidence has dropped amid allegations of “corporate mafia” links and Azam’s controversial shareholdings.
The allegations emerged from two exposés by Bloomberg. The first highlighted Azam’s shareholding in Main Market-listed Velocity Capital Partner Bhd (KL:VELOCITY), which the news wire noted was above the permitted limit for a civil servant. The second report alleged that the anti-graft agency was assisting a group of businessmen, dubbed “corporate mafia”, in seizing control of public-listed companies. Both Azam and the MACC have denied allegations in the reports.
Bersih demanded for Azam’s immediate resignation, reform of the MACC’s leadership appointment process, an end to harassment of staffers and media, and the establishment of an independent panel or Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate all outstanding corruption allegations.
On Friday, in response to Anwar, Besih repeated its demands for an RCI to undertake the probe into all outstanding allegations, Azam’s immediate resignation, as well as the development of a comprehensive reform plan, particularly on the appointment process of the MACC chief commissioner.
Bersih said it, together with its civil society organisation partners, have long called for these MACC reforms to be implemented.
It first made the call in May 2023, it noted, when the Anwar-led Madani government first renewed Azam’s contract. “This is not a new issue that has only come to light,” it added.
“If the Madani government, particularly Anwar, fails to address the issues surrounding Azam, the corporate mafia and MACC reform, public trust in the country’s reform agenda and anti-corruption efforts will continue to erode and collapse.
“Anwar cannot blame Bersih for his own failure to implement these anti-corruption reforms,” it emphasised.