PUTRAJAYA: The Anti -Corruption Advisory Board (ACAB) has cleared Malaysian Anti -Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki of any corruption or abuse of power in acquiring stocks for a family member in 2015.
The board's chairman Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang, when speaking to reporters at a special press conference here today, said the matter had been brought to the board last year.
He said a meeting was held with Azam to seek his clarification on the matter about six weeks ago.
Abu Zahar said the board and it's five-man panel met Azam on Nov 24 to clear the air on the issue and to listen from the man himself, about his alleged shares which he bought under his brother's name in 2015.
"We met Azam over the claims and we (the board members) are satisfied with his explanation on how the shares were acquired from the open market by his brother, Nasir Baki, who, at the time, was using Azam's shares account.
"He (Azam) made it clear that he did not have any pecuniary benefit from the stock purchase and (there was) no conflict of interest related to the share purchases at the time. The board has accepted his explanation and found it to be satisfactory," he told reporters at MACC headquarters.
When asked why there was a long delay in making the findings public, he said former member of the MACC advisory panel, Prof Dr Edmund Terence Gomez, beat the panel to it when he took the matter to social media.
"Gomez clearly had other options to bring up the matter. For instance, (he could have done so) via ACAB or even the Public Complaints Commission, but he did not."
Abu Zahar also denied receiving any letters from Gomez, as the latter had claimed on social media.
"In fact, when he took the matter to social media, I instructed the MACC secretariat to arrange for a face-to-face meeting with Gomez but he refused the meeting."
Abu Zahar said the matter raised by Gomez has given the public a negative perception of the MACC.
"This is not true as we have always been transparent and fair in addressing problems related to our officers. We will not condone any malpractice or abuse by our own officers, regardless of any case."
Abu Zahar added that the MACC does not tolerate or compromise with any wrongdoings involving its officers.
He said this was evident when several MACC officers in Johor Baru were arrested in October and three more in Kuala Lumpur recently.
"This is a public interest issue and we are very serious about it, but if possible, I ask all parties not to politicise it," he said, giving his assurances that a thorough investigation was conducted on the allegation levelled at Azam before he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Azam said he did not need to explain himself to anyone other than the members of the ACAB.
"I do not owe any explanation except to the ACAB. I have been in the MACC for 37 years. I have made a lot of friends, and also enemies."
Azam said he also believed that the recent allegations against him may have been an attempt by certain quarters to smear his image as the leader of Malaysia's graft-busting body.
"I am not surprised if somebody doesn't like me and is out to tarnish my image," he said.