MALAYSIA Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam said he had made enemies in his 37 years of fighting corruption who could be planning to ruin his career, The Star reported today.

He said he could also be targeted as the head of the anti-graft agency.

“In my 37 years as a law enforcement officer, I have arrested and prosecuted many people – politicians, government officers, syndication members, you name it.

 “I expect there are people who are angry with me and want to settle some scores,” he was quoted as saying in an interview.

“I believe there is an agenda, a well-designed and well-planned attack, to undermine the MACC and it was done by making me the target.

“They want to paint a picture that says if the chief commissioner is corrupt, this country’s administration has no control, is weak and there is no one that the people can depend on.”

Azam said he was ready to face such attacks which he said came with the job.

“I was told there would be more attacks against me. Like I said, this is the (cross) I have to bear,” he said.

Azam added that he did not go on leave as he was pressured to do because his case was under the investigation of an external agency and not the MACC.

“I would have gone on leave if I was being investigated by my own agency for committing a crime. If that was the case, I would have to take leave to allow my deputy to carry out an investigation against me. I should not be at work as my presence may interfere with the investigation.

“But in this case, the matter was handled by another authority and there is no issue that my presence in the office would interfere with their probe,” he said.

Court of public opinion
 
Last month civil society groups and politicians took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to demand the arrest of Azam.

Organisers of the #TangkapAzamBaki rally asked for the MACC chief to be arrested for the legal process against Azam to start immediately, and for the anti-graft agency to be reformed.

When asked about the protest, Azam said he was “unfortunate” to be a political target and that people had jumped to conclusions before the probes were complete.

“It is very unfortunate and I don’t think this has happened to any other senior civil servant. My shares issue was heavily politicised.

“Even before any investigation was made, people had already passed judgment. And when the Securities Commission made known the findings of its inquiry and cleared me, there were those who refused to accept the decision,” he said.

Ready for select committee

Azam also said he was willing to appear before the Parliament’s Special Select Committee over his controversial shareholdings.

Azam said that he was not ordered but invited to attend the meeting.

“Let me be clear that it was an invitation for me to attend the meeting and not a subpoena as claimed by certain lawmakers.

“If it was a subpoena I would have attended because as an enforcement officer, I know the law and must respect it,” Azam added.

He also said he had been advised by his lawyer not to attend the committee meeting as the matter then was under investigation by the SC  and that he had also filed a defamation suit against the whistleblower who had exposed his shareholdings.

“Any discussion would revolve around matters in the suit. All this, according to my lawyer, is sub judice,” he said.

Azam said that he had cooperated with the SC, the police, and the MACC anti-corruption advisory panel throughout as he wanted to be transparent.

The SC had subsequently announced that Azam had not broken any law in owning a trading account.

Azam had explained that his brother had borrowed his account to buy shares. – February 13, 2022.