Azam vows to monitor 1BestariNet case

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki has committed to closely monitoring the ongoing 1BestariNet probe.

Addressing the media in Putrajaya today, Azam urged patience and requested more time for investigators to complete their work thoroughly.

“The case is still under investigation, so I will postpone any announcements for now.

“I’m constantly monitoring the progress, so there’s no need to ask others - just ask me directly.

“At the moment, I don’t think it’s necessary to make any statements, so I ask for a bit more time,” he said, as quoted by the New Straits Times.

On Sept 4, the graft buster launched a probe into the more than RM4 billion project the Education Ministry awarded to YTL Communication Sdn Bhd in 2011.

However, the project encountered multiple issues, including financial irregularities, prompting then Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamed to label its first phase a “failure” in 2015.

A 2018 Auditor-General's Report also noted that the programme failed to meet key performance indicators and that the Education Ministry had ignored recommendations from the Value Management Laboratory.

It was reported on Oct 9 that MACC may summon former education minister Mahdzir Khalid and former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin as part of the 1BestariNet probe.

Close watch

Azam stated that the agency is closely monitoring airports nationwide for any potential counter-setting activities involving foreigners attempting to enter the country.

“We constantly monitor all airports, which serve as entry points for foreigners entering the country.

“However, Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main entry point, so we focus our efforts there,” he said.

Counter-setting refers to the practice of allowing foreigners to enter the country without proper inspection by directing them through specific, pre-designated lanes at Immigration checkpoints.

Last month, the MACC arrested around 60 individuals, including senior immigration officers thought to be masterminds behind the scheme.

However, Malaysiakini reported that the “big fish” in the scandal remained untouched, prompting Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to urge the news portal to provide their names.

Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar, who has been investigating the syndicate through various sources, submitted an eight-page document listing these figures.

Following a brief discussion, Saifuddin assured Nantha that he would review the information and take appropriate action if the allegations were proven true.

REE mining

On MACC’s investigation into alleged revenue misappropriation from rare earth element (REE) mining last year, Azam said he had recommended that the state government establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) for REE mining.

“This recommendation comes from my observations and experience,” he said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today.

“SOPs are necessary because, without them, anyone can mine (for REE) without permission. That is theft,” he said.

Last year, the MACC investigated a corruption case involving over RM13 million and abuse of power related to illegal REE mining.

This case subsequently led to charges against Mohd Hilmi Abdul Wahab, a former political secretary to the Kedah menteri besar, for allegedly soliciting and accepting bribes linked to the state’s mining project.

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