PETALING JAYA: A group of PKR backbenchers is calling for the immediate suspension of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki following allegations reported by Bloomberg.
In a joint statement on Friday (Feb 13), eight MPs, including Rafizi Ramli, described the claims of abuse of power and corruption within enforcement agencies as "very serious", warning that the situation mirrored past scandals that had shaken the nation.
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"These allegations are a nightmare for Malaysians who have lived through a major scandal nearly a decade ago," they said, adding that public anger would grow once the full details became widely known.
They noted that local media coverage had so far referred to the issues broadly without detailing the specific cases and evidence highlighted in Bloomberg’s investigation.
"The revelations are serious enough to warrant a free, independent and transparent investigation," they said.
Besides Rafizi (Pandan), the statement was signed by Wong Chen (Subang), Rodziah Ismail (Ampang), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa), Lee Chean Chung (Petaling Jaya), S Kesavan (Sungai Siput), Tan Kar Hing (Gopeng) and Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju).
They warned that it would be damaging if the government and Pakatan Harapan were judged over allegations linked to a senior public official without decisive action.
Among the allegations cited was a case involving businessman Victor Chin, who was investigated in 2021 over suspected money laundering exceeding RM500mil through listed companies.
The MPs said the probe, carried out jointly by the Inland Revenue Board and MACC, ended without prosecution, with most of the funds allegedly returned.
They also referred to allegations that Azam had intervened in a police case involving a close associate, Andy Lim, in connection with a firearms offence.
"That case ended with the firearm being returned without prosecution," they said.
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The statement further highlighted claims of collusion between MACC officers and certain businessmen, alleging enforcement powers were misused to pressure entrepreneurs into surrendering companies in exchange for payments running into millions of ringgit.
"These exposures point to misconduct involving not only MACC, but other enforcement agencies as well," they said.
The MPs also raised concerns over Bloomberg’s report linking a businessman accused of laundering money through MMAG Holdings Berhad, which they noted had previously been controlled by a former political secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"We urge the Prime Minister not to allow tactics of avoidance, intimidation or cover-ups to delay accountability," they said.
The statement also noted that three Malay NGOs had lodged a complaint with MACC against one of the MPs involved, and that enforcement officers had moved swiftly in response.
One MP said he had been informed by internal sources that a raid against him was being planned.
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"I am prepared to go through this. Tactics of intimidation and fabricated cases were used by past administrations, but the truth will eventually emerge," the MP said, as quoted in the statement.
To ensure the allegations were not ignored, the MPs outlined several actions beginning next week.
These include writing to non-ministerial MPs across party lines to seek support for Azam’s suspension and an independent investigation.
They also urged MPs to return to their constituencies to brief the public, engage coalition partners to pressure the government for action, propose a peaceful rally with civil society groups, and lodge a police report against Azam over the alleged firearms interference.
