THE Malaysia Anti-Corruption Forum 2022 has raised even more questions about the anti-corruption campaign in Malaysia, said veteran DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang.
One such question was the identity of the person former Chief Justice Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif was referring when he alleged that political appointments within the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have caused people to doubt the independence of the anti-graft body.
During the Forum Raus also said that the appointment of a politician as a chief commissioner of the MACC had led to widespread perception that whatever actions taken or done during the period were politically motivated.
While Raus did not specifically give a name, it has been speculated that he was referring to lawyer Latheefa Koya who headed the MACC between June 1, 2019 and March 6, 2020.
“At former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s trial over abuses of power in the SRC International case in March 2020, former MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad testified that he was ‘shocked’ when MACC in 2015 had recommended that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) press charges against Najib for alleged ‘misappropriation of funds’ relating to SRC International,” Lim recalled.
“He told the High Court that the recommendation was made by then-MACC special operations division director Datuk Bahri Mohammad Zin in his written note on the anti-graft body’s investigation papers submitted to the AGC on Dec 31, 2015.
“Dzulkifli was one of the deputy public prosecutors assigned by the then-attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali to look into MACC’s investigation papers involving the 1MDB scandal.
“So was Raus referring to Dzulkifli’s appointment as MACC chief commissioner or was he referring to the appointment of Latheefa Koya?”
Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh noted in a press statement on May 25 that Latheefa had unveiled leaked audio recordings between Najib and Dzulkifli Ahmad in 2016, which Raus said gave the commission’s image a beating.
“It is a surprise that Raus did not refer to this notorious episode,” Lim remarked.
He pointed out that even more surprising was the keynote address by MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki at the forum where he said that the perpetrators of the 1MDB scandal must be brought to justice for their “evil” actions.
“This is when his predecessor Dzulkifli had spent 22 months as MACC chief commissioner virtually denying that there was even a 1MDB scandal,” he noted. – May 26, 2022
