Tuesday, December 28, 2021

PM must end silence over allegations against MACC chief Azam Baki and his alleged EXTENSIVE ownership of corporate stock



PM must end silence over claims against MACC chief, says Kit Siang


DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang says Malaysia is expected to rank poorly in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index report due next month.

PETALING JAYA: DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang said the prime minister must end his two-month “conspiracy of silence” surrounding the allegations against MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki and his alleged extensive ownership of corporate stock.

This came following the resignation of economist Edmund Terence Gomez as a member of a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission panel after it failed to discuss reports implicating the top leaders at the anti-graft agency.

Lim, the Iskandar Puteri MP, also called for a parliamentary select committee on corruption and abuses/wastage of public funds to conduct an investigation into the allegations against Azam.

He also said the select committee should look into the Global Financial Integrity Reports which revealed that Malaysia lost a whopping RM1.8 trillion between 2005 and 2014, as well as the poor ranking and score of Malaysia in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) reports.

“This is an urgent and imperative matter especially as Malaysians are waiting in dread for the TI Corruption Perception Index 2021 next month where Malaysia is expected to rank and score poorly, reflecting a worsening of the anti-corruption efforts in the past year,” he said in a statement.

Lim said the time has come for Malaysians to demand greater transparency and accountability on the matter.

He also said Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Keluarga Malaysia concept cannot be based on a Malaysia which is regarded nationally and internationally as increasingly corrupt.

In Gomez’s resignation letter which he shared with the media yesterday, he said disturbing questions had been raised about the “nexus between business and law enforcement” and a “conflict of interest” situation involving Azam and his alleged extensive ownership of corporate stock.

Gomez also said a former MACC chief commissioner was allegedly involved in a conflict-of-interest situation, “suggesting a trend in this institution that must be investigated promptly”.

Allegations about a top MACC official were raised in the Dewan Rakyat on Dec 14 by a group of MPs from PKR, led by Sungai Buloh MP Sivarasa Rasiah. He called on the authorities to investigate the official, saying the investigation must be independent and should not be carried out by MACC.

Gomez was appointed to the panel for a two-year term from June 1, 2020 to May 31 next year.


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