[UPDATED] Azam Baki’s performance satisfactory, contract extension justified: Anwar 

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has defended the government’s decision to extend the contract of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki. 

Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, said that the call was made after taking into consideration various factors, including Azam’s conduct while carrying out his duties. 

“He (Azam) was appointed during (former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s) time. 

“So far, I have monitored his performance and he has done (his job) well. On that basis, we decided to continue his service,” Anwar said when questioned on the matter by reporters during a press conference in Putrajaya today.

Last week, the announcement of Azam’s contract extension courted backlash from certain quarters as he had previously been embroiled in controversy over his ownership of shares in two public-listed companies.

Following the allegations which came to light earlier last year, Anwar and other PH leaders, who were then part of the opposition, had vocally spoken out against Azam while urging MACC to look into the matter. 

Azam has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the shares were bought by his brother, Nasir Baki, who used his trading account with his consent. 

Addressing the Dewan Rakyat in March, Anwar said that he had decided against replacing Azam to break from the convention where the head of the anti-graft body is changed whenever a new prime minister is sworn in. 

He also said that he had no qualms with leaving the decision of whether Azam’s contract should be extended to the relevant parliamentary committee, or if a new MACC chief should be appointed. – The Vibes, May 15, 2023