Kit Siang: Azam should volunteer for PSC probe or resign

 

MACC chief Azam Baki should volunteer himself to testify before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for Agencies under the Prime Minister's Department or resign, said veteran opposition MP Lim Kit Siang.

In a statement today, Lim said doing so would set a good example for all public servants.

However, Lim said Azam (above), along with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, had kept mostly silent on allegations of impropriety concerning Azam.

"The continued silence... is most troubling," said Lim, who represents Iskandar Puteri.

According to the 2015 annual report for public-listed company Excel Force MSC Bhd, Azam owned 2,156,000 warrants in the company as of March 21, 2016.

At the material time, Azam was the MACC investigations division director.

The matter was not widely reported until MACC's Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel member Edmund Terence Gomez resigned from the panel.

Gomez resigned in protest because his requests for a panel to be convened to discuss allegations against Azam were ignored.

The Agencies PSC is led by Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PAS-Kuala Krai). He has not indicated if his committee would probe Azam.

So far, two Agencies PSC members Khoo Poay Tiong (Harapan-Kota Melaka) and Chan Foong Hin (Harapan-Kota Kinabalu) have publicly requested for such a hearing.

Meanwhile, Lim questioned if Ismail would raise the issue during the cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

"Will there be a cabinet meeting this Wednesday? If not, why was not a cabinet meeting scheduled for Jan 5 as the prime minister had recalled all ministers holidaying overseas to return because of the floods in the country?

"Since we are on the subject, is there any minister who did not return overseas and continued his or her holidays abroad despite the prime minister's directive, and who are they?" asked Lim. - Mkini