PUTRAJAYA: Maintaining that shares trading is not against civil servants’ regulations, top graft buster Tan Sri Azam Baki (pic) said he had used personal funds to acquire shares in Velocity Capital Bhd.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner also said that he will take legal action against Bloomberg over its report on his past share acquisition, stating it had damaged both his personal reputation and that of the commission he heads.
Azam explained that all transactions in acquiring the shares were funded through his savings, pension and retirement gratuity, and not through loans or external sources.
He dismissed claims that he still held shares in other companies, adding that he had disposed of the holding in July last year and did not profit from the transaction.
“I don’t have any shares anymore. Let me be clear again. I have zero shares,” he said in a special media session.
He challenged critics to produce evidence if they believed otherwise.
“If I lie to you, then you can call the police. I don’t have any single unit,” he said.
Bloomberg had reported Azam was listed as holding some shares in a local company, citing a corporate filing with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
Azam said shares trading is not illegal for government officers, provided there is no conflict of interest and proper declaration was made.
“As a citizen of Malaysia, I have a right to buy shares, to trade it, as long as it’s not illegal,” he said.
Azam said he had instructed his lawyers to issue a letter of demand to Bloomberg over what he described as a “misleading” and “defamatory” report.
“Tomorrow (today) my lawyer will send it to Bloomberg, either to its Malaysia office or the United States,” he said.
Azam accused the international news outlet of publishing a report without properly verifying the facts, particularly regarding the timeline of his share ownership and asset declarations.
He also took issue with claims that his office had failed to respond to Bloomberg’s queries prior to publication, and that the outlet had misled the public by suggesting there was no response from him.
Azam reiterated that he had complied with all asset declaration requirements under government procedures, insisting the controversy stemmed from speculation and misinterpretation rather than any breach of rules.
He said he had proactively declared his shareholdings through the government’s asset declaration system well before the five-year deadline stipulated under civil service regulations.
He also said asset declarations by senior civil servants are governed by internal administrative procedures and not required to be made public.
“There’s no law that binds me to declare to the public,” he said.
Azam concluded by insisting that the narrative suggesting he continues to hold shares valued at hundreds of thousands of ringgit is “defamatory” and not supported by the official record of his declarations.
