Who will be the next MACC chief?

Following the resignation of MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad this morning, questions abound over who is to replace him.

One of the names being touted as a favourite is that of former MACC head Abu Kassim Mohamed – who was himself replaced by Dzulkifli in August 2016 and placed at a small unit in Universiti Teknologi Mara at the height of the commission's probe into the 1MDB scandal.

Another name that has been put forth is Abu Kassim's old deputy,Shukri Abdull, who also stepped down from his post at about the same time as his boss.

Although Abu Kassim has been coy about his alleged sidelining, Shukri has been more vocal about his predicament, claiming that there had been interference in MACC's probes.

In his farewell speech, he also launched a broadside against those who accused Abu Kassim of being part of a plot to topple then-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

“For me, the individual who lodged the police report against Abu Kassim is uneducated, unable to differentiate (between a conspiracy and) a struggle to combat corruption for the love of this country," he had said.

Though not naming anyone in particular, this was in reference to Umno Youth vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun, who had lodged a police report against Abu Kassim, former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz and ex-attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail.

Khairul alleged that they had submitted information to foreign agencies – including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation – regarding the RM2.6 billion in Najib's personal bank accounts, as well as over the SRC International issue.

The trio, along with former inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar, formed a special taskforce to probe the scandals, before Gani was suddenly replaced by Mohamed Apandi Ali on the grounds of health concerns.

Najib has denied misappropriating public funds for personal gain. The RM2.6 billion was said to be a donation from Saudi royalty, which Apandi confirmed.

International investigations, however, suggest that the money originated from 1MDB.

An internal 'promotion'?

A third name that has cropped up to replace Dzulkifli is current MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Azam Baki.

However, a source familiar with the matter told Malaysiakini that Azam's chance of securing the position was “50-50,” as he is apparently not in the good books of the current Pakatan Harapan administration.

It is worth noting that Azam had widely been quoted issuing statements on at least two high-profile MACC probes, namely those into the Penang undersea tunnel, and a bungalow allegedly purchased below market value by Lim Guan Eng – now set to be sworn in as the new finance minister.

Another highly placed source in the government confirmed to Malaysiakini that there is little chance of Azam being elevated to fill the void.

"Not in the list," the source said when asked whether Azam's name was in the running.

Given this scenario, and considering that it would likely be harder to lure Shukri out of retirement, it makes Abdul Kassim – whose mandatory retirement is only in December 2020 – the most likely candidate.

Whether Abu Kassim returns to finish what he started or if the position is filled by someone new entirely will be known tomorrow, when the new MACC chief commissioner is announced. -Mkini