PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the call was made to extend Tan Sri Azam Baki’s contract after taking into consideration various factors, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief’s conduct while carrying out his duties.
“[Azam] was appointed during [former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s] time. So far, I have monitored his performance and he has done [his job] well. On that basis, we decided to continue his service,” Anwar said when quizzed about the matter during a press conference in Putrajaya earlier today (May 12).
Last week, the announcement that Azam’s contract has been extended for a year has courted backlash from various quarters as he had made headlines following allegations of his ownership of shares in two public-listed companies in late 2021.
While Azam had denied any wrongdoing, several watchdog groups and Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders called for an investigation to be opened into the matter.
Azam was also reported to have been queried by three different MACC committees over the matter.
However, then law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the issue was resolved after the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) decided that there was no case.
In the Dewan Rakyat in March, Anwar had defended his decision not to replace Azam, saying he wanted to break the convention that a change of guard in the agency was necessary whenever a new prime minister was appointed.
Anwar said his decision was also influenced by MACC’s status as an independent body. – May 12, 2023
Main pic credit: Bernama
