IT is for the larger public interest that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki steps aside until the public is convinced that he is innocent.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P Ramasamy said that the more Azam resisted attempts to get to the bottom of his alleged wrongdoings, the more difficult or untenable his position would become.
“The fact that he did not disclose his business interests or the fact that he was holding shares worth millions of ringgit for his brother is hardly an excuse to stop a full-blown investigation,” he commented.
“If Azam is clean as he professes to be he should take a break to allow for a more thorough investigation to take place.”
Allegations recently surfaced that Azam owned a substantial number of shares in two companies between 2015 and 2016 when he was the MACC director of investigations.
On Wednesday (Jan 5), Azam said he had given permission to his younger brother to use his trading account to acquire the shares.
The MACC chief commissioner said he gave permission to his younger brother, Nasir, to use his account for the purpose.
Azam said although he need not have declared the shares trading as it was not done by him, he had informed his superiors.
The Anti -Corruption Advisory Board (ACAB) has since cleared Azam of any corruption or abuse of power in acquiring stocks for a family member.
However, Ramasamy said that Azam being cleared by MACC’s advisory board meant nothing.
“Azam cannot say that he is only responsible to the advisory board and not to the public. It is obvious that he has sympathetic ears in the council,” he remarked.
“The highest court of the country is the general public, and the public wants Azam to be cleared of the serious allegations of corruption against him.
“The very fact that he held shares on behalf of his brother renders him to be proxy, something punishable by the law, not forgetting the fact that Azam is the chief financial officer of the MACC.”
According to Ramasamy, if investigations revealed that Azam was indeed a proxy for his brother, he has to explain the matter.
Ramasamy further questioned the need for the MACC chief commissioner to be involved in business transactions worth millions of ringgit on his brother’s behalf.
“Was it because his brother felt that the shares were in the good and safe hands of the chief commissioner?
“What were the compelling reasons that led to Azam feeling that it was prudent to hold his brother’s shares? Was his brother under investigation for some wrongdoing?
“This would be akin to keeping stolen items at the police station and perhaps Azam felt that keeping his brother’s shares with him is similar to keeping them at Fort Knox,” he quipped. – Jan 7, 2022
