KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Corruption Watch (MCW) has raised concerns over what it described as misleading reporting by a foreign media outlet regarding the asset declaration of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
A news portal reported that he was listed as holding shares valued at about RM800,000 in a company's annual return lodged on Feb 3 last year.
Azam has since clarified that the shares were both purchased and disposed of within the same year.
MCW president Jais Abdul Karim said the report risked creating an unjustified link between the MACC as an institution and allegations of wrongdoing, which could undermine public confidence and international trust in Malaysia's anti-corruption enforcement framework.
He said asset declarations by public officers are governed by established administrative procedures under the civil service system, including submissions through the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) to the Public Service Department.
Azam had complied with these requirements, including declaring sources of income and the acquisition and disposal of assets such as shares.
"Any narrative suggesting a failure to declare assets while disregarding this established framework is factually inaccurate and misleading," Jais said in a statement today.
He said that accountability and transparency must apply to all public officials, but scrutiny must be grounded in evidence and lawful processes rather than incomplete or speculative reporting that risks becoming character-driven.
He also cautioned that repeated perception-based attacks on enforcement agencies could ultimately benefit parties seeking to weaken anti-corruption institutions.
He expressed support for MACC's efforts to correct what it described as misleading narratives while reaffirming the need to maintain public trust in the commission's statutory mandate.
Earlier, Azam said his previous shareholding in the financial services company was conducted transparently and properly declared, adding that he had nothing to hide regarding the RM800,000 transaction.
#KW Malaysian Corruption Watch, Tan Sri Azam Baki, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Velocity Capital Bhd, due process, governance, oversight. - NST
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