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KUALA LUMPUR – A former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) advisory board member has grilled the graftbusters’ chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, asserting that he is making a mockery out of the people and the country’s judiciary system by looking to clear himself of any alleged wrongdoings.
Tan Sri Robert Phang, now a prominent social activist and philanthropist, said Azam further convoluted the matter by implicating Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (LPPR) chairman Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang as the one who absolved him of any wrongdoing, suggesting LPPR as infallible.
He added that Azam breached MACC standard operating procedures (SOPs) by allowing his brother to use his share-trading account, saying such actions were equivalent to condoning an offence.
“101% he breached the rules. It concerns SOPs, because if my brother approached me (to use my trading account) and I was an MACC chief, I would tell him to f*** off.
“But now you allow him to carry on, so that’s the same as condoning an offence that amounts to the same punishment – in my view.
“He (Azam) is making a fool out of us, the system, and the entire judiciary. Letting him go is the easy way to go about it, but this case should be investigated by police or any other independent body, without fear or favour.
“Because we are watching, the rakyat is watching, the whole world is watching,” Phang told The Vibes.
This is in response to Azam and Abu Zahar’s remarks, where the latter during a press conference yesterday insisted the MACC chief did no wrong in allowing his brother to use his share-trading account.
Phang today suggested to The Vibes that a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the matter would be the most suitable option to get to the bottom of it.
“A proper RCI should be formed to probe into the whole thing because the MACC chief himself has been implicated, so where is the faith, trust, and confidence that we are supposed to have in MACC?
“The system has been screwed up by this stupidity, oh Azam.”
Phang added that LPPR should consider applying for a temporary interdiction of Azam’s tenure while investigations are underway to avoid any further conflict of interest.
An interdiction refers to an official instruction from a court of law barring someone from a certain action.
“I would recommend for the board to interdict him with half pay, because when you say no pay, that could look like someone is convicted already, but when it's half pay, there is still a chance (to be absolved) and society will still think that you are not guilty until proven.”
In yesterday’s press conference, Abu Zahar said LPPR conducted a meeting with Azam on November 24 to seek an explanation on the allegations that have since plagued the anti-graft body.
He added that LPPR was satisfied by the explanation given by Azam and found no criminal elements involving him or conflict of interest.
Azam meanwhile insisted he as the chief commissioner is only answerable to LPPR.
He also claimed the allegations of conflict of interest brought against him were created by certain parties looking to take advantage and attack MACC and ruin the commission’s image and his personal reputation. – The Vibes, January 6, 2022
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