MACC chief says politicians follow but don’t intervene in corruption probes
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki said there has been no political intervention in his agency’s work since he took office.
In an interview with TVAlHijrah’s Analisis: Barah Lama @ Polemik Baru? programme, Azam said some politicians “enquired” about investigations but not with the intention to interrupt or influence the outcome of the probe.
“Okay, since I became the chief commissioner, no. I can give assurance that no one intervened or gave me orders.
“But I don’t deny that there are those who “enquire” (bertanya-tanya). It’s not logical for me to say that no one asked at all.
“I also regularly mix with ministers or other politicians. They do ask, but I give assurance here, that those are merely enquiries and would not influence our decisions in carrying out investigations. We will surely investigate the cases, and it is up to the Attorney-General whether to charge or not,” he said.
Azam said it was on those claiming political intervention in his agency’s work to substantiate their allegations.
Azam was responding to a question from host Syafinaz Yunus who asked if he had “received” any political intervention in dealing with the current investigations on a cartel monopolising government projects worth RM3.8 billion, as well as other high-profile cases.
Previously, the Pakatan Harapan coalition also accused the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) of weaponising the country’s law enforcement agencies — including the MACC — against political rivals.
PH first made the claim when PKR’s Julau MP Larry Sng and Tebrau MP Steven Choong when independent to proclaim support for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his PN administration.
The coalition repeated the allegation when Dr Xavier Jayakumar resigned last month from PKR, in which he was a vice president, to also declare support for Muhyiddin. Shortly after, the MACC began investigating the former minister’s aide for corruption.
Opposition Leader and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim previously claimed that his MPs for Sekijang, Padang Serai, Sungai Siput, Putatan and Miri were targeted with threats and enticements for them to defect to PN.
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