KUALA LUMPUR: Twenty-one opposition members of parliament have lauded the Securities Commission's (SC) willingness to conduct a full investigation into the alleged scandal involving Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
In a joint statement today, the MPs said the SC's decision showed that the commission was not convinced by Azam's claims that he did not know whether buying and holding shares for his brother was an offence.
This had come following Azam's claim that his share trading account was used by his brother to purchase shares in 2015.
Azam reportedly told this to the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (ACAB), which is one of five independent monitoring bodies of the MACC, following allegations that Azam has interests and shareholding in several companies.
"We would like to congratulate the SC on their swift action in announcing a full investigation into the admission by Azam that his share account was used to buy shares for his brother Nasir Baki.
"It is refreshing to know not all government-related organisations have been compromised and will act without fear or favour.
"We urge the MACC advisory panel and other oversight mechanisms to take a leaf from the SC's book and further investigate Azam's alleged shareholdings and not brush it under the carpet," the joint statement read.
The 21 parliamentarians said Azam's explanation that the money came from his brother lacked credibility, adding that the MACC chief had breached Section 25(4) of the Securities Industry (Central Depository) Act 1991.
If found guilty, they said Azam would face a fine of up to RM3 million and a prison sentence of up to 10 years or both.
They also urged Azam to immediately take leave from his high-profile position to facilitate further investigations as this would show his transparency on the matter.
"He should not be going after whistleblowers who exposed these facts with court action. This is clearly harassment against those speaking up against his alleged wrongdoing.
"Let the relevant enforcement agencies such as the SC and the police do their investigation and clear him if there is indeed no offence.
"If the anti-corruption chief himself is involved with alleged corruption of the highest level, where is the integrity and standards of Malaysian institutions?"
Yesterday, it was reported that Azam had initiated legal proceedings against anti-corruption activist Lalitha Kunaratnam for defamation, saying this was done to protect his good standing and professional reputation.
The 21 MPs also urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to break his silence on the matter and exercise his powers to restore credibility to the MACC by ordering Azam to go on leave while waiting for the investigation to be completed.
"As a country that upholds the rule of law, this action is necessary to ensure all legal processes are respected by all parties regardless of their position.
"This will also help restore public and foreign investor confidence in the transparency and fairness of the country's legal system."
Among the 21 MPs who jointly signed the statement were Sivarasa Rasiah (Sungai Buloh), Dr Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam), Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun), Fahmi Fadzil (Lembah Pantai), Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (Pulai), Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham (Beruas), and Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Parit Buntar).