KUALA LUMPUR: Any consideration to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into allegations linked to former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki will be based on ongoing investigations, says Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said the authorities were currently investigating the allegations of corporate mafia and share ownership to establish complete and verified facts.
“The government is of the view that any follow-up action should be guided by the findings of the investigation to ensure that every decision is based on facts, justice and the rule of law,” she said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (July 7).
She said any decision on setting up an RCI to investigate allegations of corporate mafia or related matters would be made according to the legal process and procedures provided under the Commissions of Enquiry Act 1950.
According to Azalina, the approach was necessary to ensure that any decision upheld the rule of law, the integrity of the investigation process and the public interest.
She also outlined the process for establishing an RCI in Malaysia, saying it begins with the lead ministry preparing a Cabinet memorandum on a matter of significant public interest.
Once approved by the Cabinet, she said the Prime Minister would seek the consent of the King.
If royal consent is granted, the commission’s terms of reference, membership and investigation period would be finalised and gazetted before it begins its work, she added.
Azalina said the commission would then conduct its inquiry under the provisions of the Commissions of Enquiry Act 1950, with its report first submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before other formal processes, including presentation to the Cabinet.
Azalina was responding to a question from Lim Guan Eng, who asked why an RCI had not been established to investigate Azam’s share ownership, which allegedly exceeded the limit permitted for public officers, as well as allegations of a corporate mafia within the MACC.
