Report sparks renewed calls for Azam's resignation, MACC reform

NGOs and politicians across the spectrum have urged immediate reform of the MACC, including calls for chief commissioner Azam Baki’s resignation, following a Bloomberg report on the latter’s shareholdings.

Bersih chairperson Faisal Abdul Aziz and PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari noted that this is not the first time Azam (above) has been in the spotlight for owning more shares than permitted, adding that the revelation risks compromising the integrity of public institutions.

“Azam must resign immediately, and the government must conduct a total reform of the MACC,” Faisal said.

He noted that Azam had already come under scrutiny in 2021 over his ownership of shares in Gets Global Berhad worth around RM772,000, and he refused to attend a parliamentary special select committee (PSSC) proceedings on the matter.

Fadhli urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to address the matter, describing the findings as compromising the integrity of the nation's highest enforcement authorities.

“If the government continues to remain silent without any transparent and convincing explanation, then Azam should take responsibility by resigning, or his service should be terminated immediately to safeguard MACC's reputation,” Fadhli said on Facebook.

Umno supreme council leader Puad Zarkashi also urged Anwar to act immediately, warning the matter “should not be swept under the carpet”.

Push for independent oversight

Beyond calls for resignation, the controversy has renewed pressure for structural reforms.

Bersih welcomed PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar's suggestion to establish an independent oversight committee for the MACC - a proposal Bersih also raised in its 2024 reform report.

Such a committee should report directly to Parliament, Nurul Izzah said in an op-ed published in The Star on Sunday, noting that investigative, prosecutorial, and financial powers are concentrated within MACC.

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism’s (C4 Center) Pushpan Murugiah also backed the suggestion, saying existing oversight bodies lack credibility.

“Recent developments have once again exposed a fundamental problem: when enforcement agencies wield extensive discretionary powers without credible, independent oversight, public confidence is inevitably undermined,” he said.

Pushpan pointed out that MACC's accountability deficit is systemic rather than episodic, and cannot be addressed through isolated responses to individual controversies.

“Meaningful reform requires moving beyond ‘statements of concern’ and enforcing binding regulations that safeguard MACC’s integrity.

“Without such safeguards, accountability remains selective, fragile, and vulnerable to political shifts,” he stressed.

The Bloomberg report, published yesterday, found that Azam owns 17.7 million shares in financial services company Velocity Capital Partner Berhad - about a 1.7 percent stake.

Malaysiakini verified the report against Companies Commission records, which were based on company documents registered on Dec 26 last year.

However, MACC and Azam said the shareholding was properly declared to the Public Service Department.

Azam said the shares had been purchased and disposed of last year, and he is mulling legal action against “malicious” reports questioning the transaction.

Based on last year's share prices (RM0.015 to RM0.065), the holdings were worth between RM265,500 and RM1,150,500.

Civil servants cannot purchase more than RM100,000 worth of shares in any single company - making Azam's holdings far in excess of the limit.

Not the first controversy

In late 2021, Azam came under scrutiny over his ownership of 1.93 million shares in Gets Global Berhad, worth around RM772,000 – also exceeding the limit.

In January 2022, Anwar, then the opposition leader, pledged to raise the matter with then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob after PKR Youth handed him a memorandum calling for MACC chiefs to declare their assets.

Since becoming prime minister in November 2022, however, Anwar has extended Azam’s contract as MACC chief past retirement three times – with his present contract due to expire on May 12 this year.

He has become a staunch defender of Azam, once declaring that the latter was the only one brave enough to go after corrupt leaders.

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