ONLY those who reported wrongdoings to the authorities would be accorded protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010; not if they make their allegations public, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
“The Act is clear on the definition of ‘whistleblower’ and to whom the report should be made, which is to law enforcement agencies.
“However, one cannot claim to be a whistleblower if you expose your own identity,” he was reported as saying, in an exclusive interview with The Star.
Last month, Azam sued reporter Lalitha Kunaratnam for RM10 mil in damages over articles published on the Independent News Service on Oct 26, 2021 and Dec 15, 2021.
In addition to the articles, Azam also included Lalitha’s tweets, which featured a diagram suggesting the MACC supremo’s ties to various businesses.
Recently, a police report was also lodged against the reporter at the Sentul police station for allegedly lying to the court in regards to the case.
However, Free Malaysia Today reported Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director Datuk Seri Abdul Jalil Hassan as saying that the report has been marked as no further action (NFA).
Touching on the matter, Azam said it was important for him to file a legal suit against Lalitha to defend his personal, family and professional reputation.
“Under the law, it is the right of every citizen to defend themselves. I am compelled to initiate this suit to clear my personal, family and professional standing. I value this very much.
“As the matter is pending in court, we both have an equal opportunity to present our case,” he mentioned.
PSC did not subpoena me
On why he refused to appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agencies, Azam said that he was merely invited to attend the meeting, not issued a subpoena as claimed by certain lawmakers.
Azam stressed that if a subpoena was issued, he would have attended it in his capacity as an enforcement officer.
“It is not that I refused to attend but I merely pointed out to the Parliament secretary that under Procedure 83 (4) of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Order, the deliberations of a select committee shall be confined to matters referred to it by the House.
“If there is a referral from the House, I would have certainly attended the meeting. I believe they understood my point and that was why the meeting was postponed,” he added.
On related matter, Azam said that the accusations levelled against him had demoralised and stressed-out MACC officers.
However, the MACC head honcho added that they stood firm by his side and he was grateful for their support.
“I apologised to them for putting the agency through this. I also told them to bear with me, gave them my assurance that the case will be settled and we will move on,” Azam remarked. – Feb 13, 2022.
