KOTA KINABALU – There is no way a civil servant like Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki would be able to afford to buy million-ringgit shares, said two DAP lawmakers today.
Citing that all public servants are required to declare their assets, Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin and Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong also pointed out that the anti-graft chief’s claim that he does not need to explain to any parties pertaining the purchase of shares worth millions was also incorrect.
“Even if he does (have the funds to buy the shares), he should explain the source of the money used to acquire them.
“His salary certainly does not commensurate with the value of shares he acquired when he was the MACC head of investigation back in 2015,” they said in a joint statement today.
Both federal lawmakers, who are also members of the Parliamentary Select Committee, said the claim that the shares were bought by Azam Baki’s brother, Nasir Baki, was also unacceptable.
Azam had claimed that his brother Nasir had used his account to purchase those shares.
However, the pair questioned why Nasir did not purchase the shares using his own account in the first place, instead of using Azam’s trading account for the transaction.
“Why didn’t the brother just buy the shares using his own account in the first place? Why was there a need for the brother to buy the shares using Azam’s trading account first?
“The general public does not buy Azam’s explanation as it stands. All these need answering by Azam,” the MPs said.
They also said the MACC Corruption Prevention Advisory Board exists to probe into such scandals, and not to clear officers of corruption.
Furthermore, the opposition MPs said that the board’s investigation does not stop the Parliamentary Select Committee from conducting its own investigations and making recommendations to the lower House to amend laws if required.
They added that the absence of a clear explanation and transparency from the MACC chief commissioner would certainly erode the public’s trust and confidence in the graft-buster body. – The Vibes, January 6, 2022
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