PUTRAJAYA – The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has played down its action on the Invoke Solutions Sdn Bhd office, saying it is procedural and part of ongoing investigations.
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki said it was not accurate to describe the action as a “raid”.
“We just came by with three or four officers, interviewed the staff and took some related financial documents and left,” he told The Vibes.
“If it was a raid, we would have sent an entire troop of officers, cordoned off the office, seized items, detained people and restricted their movements.”
He confirmed that while the visits by MACC yesterday and today were in relation to the RM18.5 million asset declaration by PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, the anti-graft body was also investigating his revelation of a RM2 billion flood mitigation project that was awarded to a company 17 days after Parliament was dissolved.
Azam also clarified that the second visit today was in response to a phone call by a senior Invoke official for MACC to pick up additional documents which were requested earlier.
The company that benefited from this contract, which was awarded without tender, was Mangkubumi Sdn Bhd.
Rafizi, who runs Invoke, said this leaves caretaker environment and water minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and caretaker finance minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz a lot to answer for.
On the timing of the MACC visits days before the 15th general election, Azam said the MACC was doing its work “quietly” but it was others who blew up the matter.
“So, if we have elections we need to close down and not do our work? We visited Invoke without any fanfare so we can conduct our investigations without publicity.
“But the politicians highlighted these visits and now our investigations are being politicised.”
Azam said, similarly, the MACC had already visited several government agencies and took documents pertaining to Rafizi’s allegations on the flood mitigation project.
“We will reveal the outcomes when the investigations are completed.”
Rafizi had criticised the MACC action as an attempt to discredit him and PKR in time for the general election.
He said Invoke’s shares belonged to him and its investors. – The Vibes, November 16, 2022