MACC deputy says 10 out of 13 chiefs were outsiders

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Azam Baki said the commission has pledged to give their full support to their newly appointed chief Latheefa Koya.

"We will provide all the support for her to discharge her duties effectively and efficiently," he said as reported by Free Malaysia Today yesterday.

Azam also pointed out that it is not unusual for an "outsider" to be leading the MACC as since the inception of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in 1967 and its successor the MACC in 2009, 10 of the 13 chiefs, including Latheefa were appointed from outside the agency.

The three chief commissioners who were appointed from within the MACC ranks were Ahmad Said, Abu Kassim Mohamed and Mohd Shukri Abdull.

It was announced yesterday that Latheefa will replace Shukri as the new MACC chief commissioner, effective June 1.

Shukri requested for his contract to expire ahead of its deadline on May 17, 2020, saying that he had accomplished his mission.

Latheefa will serve as MACC chief on a two-year contract.

However, politicians from both sides of the partisan, as well as activists, have questioned her appointment as she was formerly a PKR member who had once held various leadership positions within the party.

Though she later announced that she had quit PKR when she found out she was to be appointed the new MACC chief, many critics were dissatisfied with this.

The parliamentary special select committee on public appointments also revealed that they were unaware of her appointment as the MACC chief.

Pakatan Harapan's election manifesto had pledged that key national appointments to agencies, including the MACC, must be approved by a suitable parliamentary committee. - Mkini