Some people out to run down MACC, says Azam Baki

(FMT) – Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki says he expects more personal attacks to come his way “in the near future”, in the wake of articles about his ownership of shares.

Azam said certain individuals were out to erode the public’s confidence in the anti-graft agency and he would still face continued pressure to resign while the MACC probes high-profile cases.

Azam did not reveal which high-profile cases he meant; however, a number of former ministers and politicians have been hauled to court over allegations of corruption involving millions of ringgit.

Even though the Securities Commission (SC) had cleared him twice of any wrongdoing in the recent controversy, “it won’t end here. I expect more allegations against me to be made and issues raised,” he said in a special interview with selected media.

Azam said if these certain individuals are successful in undermining the agency, there will no longer be any outfit that the public would trust on issues relating to corruption.

Last month, three MACC top guns said Azam was a victim of “revenge politics”, in backing their chief over the ownership of shares.

On Jan 19, the SC said that Azam had not breached the Securities Industry (Central Depositories) Act 1991 (Sicda). The day before Azam declared he had been cleared of any wrongdoing after the commission said it could not “conclusively establish” if he had broken the law.

Azam also said he saw a silver lining in the controversy, which had revealed to him who were his friends and enemies.