Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar is heading the three-member committee that has been tasked with investigating MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki.
The other two members are Public Service Department director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz and Treasury secretary Johan Mahmood Merican.
In a statement last night, Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the committee would be reporting their findings to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the civil service disciplinary authority for further action.
However, Shamsul's statement appeared to indicate that the scope of the investigation is only on Azam's shareholdings.
It is not clear whether the committee - or another entity - will investigate allegations that MACC officers had colluded with private individuals to strong-arm business rivals and stage corporate takeovers.
Malaysiakini is contacting Shamsul and Dusuki for clarification.
Azam was in the spotlight earlier this week after Bloomberg and Malaysiakini separately reported that the graft buster chief had significant shares in two companies that appeared to be in excess of what the civil service allowed.
Companies Commission of Malaysia records revealed that Azam had at some point held 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital Partner Berhad and around 4.52 million shares in Awanbiru Technology Berhad.
The Velocity Capital Partner shares were believed to have been bought for around RM1.5 million, while the Awanbiru shares were estimated to have been valued between RM1.24 million and RM1.38 billion at some point.
While share trading by civil servants is not illegal, the 2024 Public Officers’ Conduct and Disciplinary Management Circular stipulates that civil servants are not allowed to purchase shares that exceed five percent of paid-up capital or RM100,000 at current value.
However, Azam countered that his shareholding did not involve paid-up capital but was instead acquired through purchases on the open market.
‘White-collar crime’
On Thursday, Bloomberg released a damning report accusing the MACC of collusion with businesspersons - an act which the business portal claimed Azam was aware of and had even supported.
When contacted, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim lauded Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for setting up a committee to investigate Azam.
However, he said it would be flawed if the panel only investigated the shareholdings.
"The investigating committee, if it truly wants to reform the MACC, must also investigate the MACC collusion allegations. This is a white-collar crime," he said.
Likewise, Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail also expressed concern over the potential scope of investigations.
"We MPs are worried why the government doesn't see that the problem is the MACC as a whole," she told Malaysiakini.
PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden voiced a similar opinion when contacted, saying that all aspects, including the alleged collusion, must be investigated.
He also reiterated calls for Azam to be suspended throughout the investigation.
"He (Azam) can't meddle in any way," Afnan told Malaysiakini. - Mkini
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