'Sue Bloomberg' - PAS dares PM over latest report that Azam probe results withheld

PAS has challenged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to take legal action against Bloomberg after it published yet another damning allegation against his leadership.

The media agency’s latest report quoted unnamed sources claiming that Anwar had asked “key people” in a probe on MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s shareholdings to hold off from making their findings public.

In a statement, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said the government must answer all the allegations levelled at them.

“The government must respond, and if this is not true, they must take action. Sue and charge Bloomberg!

“What are you scared of? If it’s true that the report is ready, why do you want to hold it off (from being made public)?” asked Fadhli (above, left), who is also the Pasir Mas MP.

In an exclusive report published this morning, Bloomberg claimed the prime minister wanted those involved in the investigation into Azam’s shareholdings to withhold their findings from the public.

This is supposedly until law enforcement agencies complete their separate investigations into the alleged “corporate mafia” scandal that implicates the MACC, and the matter is discussed in the cabinet again.

READ MORE: 'Corporate mafia': Businessperson questions home raid despite police cooperation

Bloomberg also claimed that Anwar was planning to let Azam step aside after his contract expires in May, and that the anti-graft chief was allegedly lobbying to be made a senator after he retires from civil service.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office and MACC for comments.

‘Major betrayal’

In a separate statement, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the allegation, if true, is a "major betrayal" on the prime minister's part after promising a transparent probe.

"The issue here is simple: If the investigation found Azam did not do anything wrong, what is the need to keep it a secret?

"And if it found him in the wrong, why is he still serving as MACC chief?

"In any circumstances, the answer is the same: (the government) must reveal the report," he stressed.

The Kubang Kerian MP demanded Putrajaya reveal the committee's report in full within a week, and if Azam was found to have violated the rules in regard to his shareholdings, Tuan Ibrahim called for the anti-graft chief to be suspended with immediate effect.

He also urged the government to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate the “corporate mafia” claims and park MACC under the Parliament's purview instead of the executive.

Shareholdings and corporate mafia

Azam, whose tenure has been extended three times by Anwar, is facing public scrutiny over Bloomberg and Malaysiakini’s reports that he owned significant shares in two companies, exceeding what the civil service allowed.

Following public pressure, the government set up a special committee led by Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar to scrutinise the compliance and regularity of 17.7 million shares that Azam purchased at around RM1.5 million.

The cabinet received and discussed the committee’s findings on March 11, but did not disclose what they were.

The government also ordered the police, Inland Revenue Board, MACC, and Securities Commission, among others, to investigate the “corporate mafia” claims.

MACC has issued a firm denial regarding the claims, dismissing them as baseless while alleging they are part of a smear campaign intended to undermine the agency’s reputation.

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