KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has reportedly called in a researcher who accused the graftbusters of offering Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan RM10 million to implicate Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
According to a report by Free Malaysia Today, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said Shafiq Abdul Halim, a freelance researcher for Wan Saiful, then apologised for his claim and said he “misspoke”.
“He came to our headquarters after being summoned and was arrested at 3.30pm yesterday,” Azam was reported saying.
Azam said Shafiq was arrested under Section 48 of the MACC Act for allegedly obstructing investigations
The MACC chief said Shafiq’s claim is a “wild accusation” and has detrimental effects on the national anti-graft commission’s reputation.
The arrested researcher however claimed that his TikTok video had been altered by Pakatan Harapan’s “cybertroopers”.
“I have no intention to accuse any individual, including Azam Baki,” said Shafiq in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Yesterday, MACC said they would take legal action against the person who had claimed the commission had offered RM10 million for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia information chief Wan Saiful to implicate his party’s president.
Azam Baki said this when rejecting the claim from a 44-second video in which a man alleged the agency offered to pay Wan Saiful the amount if he were to provide a statement that he took bribes on the orders of Muhyiddin.
On Tuesday, Wan Saiful claimed trial over two bribery charges at the Sessions Court here, in connection with the government’s Jana Wibawa scheme back in 2022.