On taking MACC helm, Latheefa resigns from PKR and LFL

PETALING JAYA: Latheefa Beebi Koya has announced her resignation as a PKR member, following her appointment as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner.

According to Latheefa, she had tendered her resignation to PKR on Monday (June 3) after being informed of her "impending" appointment as the MACC chief.

"Thank you for the advice. But I have already sent in my resignation with immediate effect as an ordinary member of PKR yesterday (June 3), upon being told of my impending appointment as MACC chief," she tweeted on Tuesday (June 4).

This was in response to a news report quoting Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil as saying that she should quit from PKR.

During her stint in PKR, Latheefa has held various positions such as central committee member, legal advisor, and information chief, among others.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced her appointment, saying it was effective June 1. She is the first woman to be appointed to the post.

The PMO also announced that Datuk Seri Shukri Abdull had resigned as MACC chief commissioner, a post the 59-year-old has held since May 17 last year and which originally was to have ended in 2020.

Meanwhile, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) adviser N. Surendran also announced Latheefa had resigned as executive director.

He said that human rights lawyer Melissa Sasidaran has been appointed to replace Latheefa, who co-founded LFL in 2011 and was previously its adviser. She took over as executive director last July.