KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): Lawmakers have called for reforms to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and urged the government to make the findings of investigations involving former MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki public to prevent future abuse of power.
In February 2026, Bloomberg reported that Azam Baki owned 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital Partner Bhd (KL:VELOCITY), worth about RM800,000, exceeding the RM100,000 limit for civil servants. A follow-up report by Bloomberg, titled "Who’s Watching Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Watchdog?", alleged that a network of MACC officers and businessmen was involved in corporate takeovers. Both Azam and the MACC denied the allegations.
On Feb 13, the Cabinet formed a special committee led by Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar to investigate whether Azam had breached civil service rules. The committee submitted its findings to the Cabinet, but the report has not been made public.
During the Budget 2027 debate at the committee stage, Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said making the findings public was important to guide reforms and prevent enforcement powers from being misused, including against political opponents.
“Muar is not interested in revenge. We want to know how past mistakes can be prevented from happening again — even to our fiercest political enemies — through policymaking,” he said.
“But that can only be done if we know the findings of the investigation.”
Syed Saddiq also questioned how the terms of reference of the February investigative committee differed from those of a separate committee formed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in October. He also asked what the earlier investigation had uncovered.
The two-term Muar MP further alleged that political intimidation had continued under successive governments, with old investigation files being revived to pressure individuals into changing their political support, although he did not name anyone. He warned that such practices would continue regardless of changes in government or leadership without transparent investigations.
Meanwhile, Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin called for amendments to the MACC Act to strengthen the commission's independence in appointments, investigations, misconduct proceedings and parliamentary oversight.
The Public Accounts Committee chairperson also questioned why the government had yet to provide a comprehensive explanation of the corporate mafia allegations through an independent investigation with findings open to public scrutiny.
“How are we to strengthen public confidence in the MACC?” she asked.
Separately, police investigations into alleged corporate mafia activities under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 have resulted in the freezing and seizure of accounts worth RM409.21 million as of Sept 25.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said the enforcement action showed that the alleged corporate mafia activities warranted further investigation and renewed his call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI).
In a parliamentary reply last week, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said investigations were ongoing and that, based on witnesses questioned so far, no MACC officers had been identified as being involved.
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