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MALAYSIAN Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki has dismissed calls for him to take leave pending investigations into allegations concerning his share ownership, insisting there is no necessity for him to step aside.
“I do not need to go on leave,” he said when asked to respond to suggestions that he be temporarily relieved of his duties to ensure transparency in the probe.
Azam maintained that there was no requirement for him to withdraw from his role at this stage, noting that even individuals facing court charges in other cases have continued working while proceedings were ongoing.
“That is up to them. I do not need to take leave,” he told reporters at a press conference after officiating the Kampung Angkat Madani programme in Kampung Sungai Buah in Dengkil today.
The remarks come after Bachok Member of Parliament Syahir Sulaiman reportedly called for Azam to be immediately rested while a special committee conducts investigations, arguing that such a move would help restore public confidence in the anti-graft body.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying there was no need to sideline Azam during the investigation, but stressed that the government would leave the matter to the special committee established to examine the case thoroughly and transparently.
The issue has reignited debate over governance standards and institutional accountability, with political leaders divided over whether Azam’s continued tenure could affect public perception of the commission’s independence. - February 15, 2025