PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki who came under fire over claims that he held substantial shares of a public-listed company was cleared of the allegations by the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (ACAB) yesterday.
ACAB chairman Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang said in a press conference that Azam had no pecuniary interest in the purchase or ownership of the shares.
He said after the matter came to light, the board held a meeting last November to seek clarification from Azam.
Abu Zahar said Azam had explained that his share trading account was borrowed and utilised by his younger brother, Nasir Baki, to purchase the said shares in 2015.
He said all the shares were transferred to Nasir’s account the same year.
Abu Zahar said the shares were purchased in the open market and there was no conflict of interest in the process.
“After a lengthy discussion, the board is satisfied with Azam’s clarification and found no act of crime was committed. We had planned to make our findings public at a given time but unfortunately the issue was raised earlier by the commission’s former member of the Consultation and Corruption Prevention panel Prof Dr Edmund Terence Gomez. This had shocked me,” he said.
In a statement yesterday, Azam said he had consulted his lawyers and has decided to sue those who who had tarnished his reputation and the image of the MACC.
He said the allegation that he had interest or control of many companies was a total lie to create a negative perception of him.
Azam said the claim that made it appear as if he was running a large conglomerate was to undermine his reputation and that of the MACC.
“On this issue, I have not done anything wrong and claims of conflict of interest made by certain parties are baseless. I am aware and realise that this is a challenge that is faced by almost all chief commissioners of the MACC. I had pledged to carry out my duties and responsibilities entrusted to me to lead the commission in being professional and with the highest integrity,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Abu Zahar maintained that he had not received any letter on the allegations against Azam from Gomez.
“I did not receive any of his letters on this issue. If there are such letters, please prove it by handing in copies of it. After he brought this up in the social media, I had ordered the MACC to contact and invite Gomez to meet me to discuss what he was not satisfied about. However, he declined. I have always been open and transparent with Gomez in such matters because I will not compromise and protect any MACC officer if they were behind any wrongdoing. My stance is to safeguard the image of the MACC and not its officers who are involved in wrongdoings,“ said Abu Zahar.
