MALAYSIAN Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki’s contract was extended by a year as his performance is satisfactory, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman said several factors were taken into account, including his conduct while performing his duties.

He noted that Azam was appointed during former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.

“I gave the MACC and attorney-general the complete freedom and authority to carry out their duties.

“And they have carried them out satisfactorily. On that basis, we decided to continue their services,” Anwar told a press conference in Putrajaya today.

Azam was made MACC chief on March 9, 2020, following the resignation of his predecessor, Latheefa Koya, after the fall of the PH government.

The extension, which was announced on Wednesday, has drawn flak from a wide section of people, including Selangor Muda, which pointed out that it was ironic as PH leaders had joined the #TangkapAzamBaki rally in January last year when controversy arose around Azam’s ownership of millions of ringgit in shares.

Former MACC advisory board member Edmund Terence Gomez has also said the extension had “damaged” Anwar’s credibility.

“How can his (Azam’s) contract be extended when his reputation is in question? This extension comes under a prime minister who talks about eradicating corruption,” he was quoted as saying by news portal Free Malaysia Today.

“It’s a serious damage to Anwar’s (credibility) and he has to explain why he allowed the extension.”

Gomez resigned from an MACC advisory panel in December 2021 following reports of Azam’s alleged extensive ownership of corporate stock despite a RM100,000 cap on equity holdings for civil servants.

The MACC chief had said he gave his brother permission to buy shares using his account in 2015 and his superiors were informed of the matter.

While the Securities Commission and an MACC advisory panel cleared Azam of wrongdoing, several watchdog groups and PH leaders called for an investigation into the matter. – May 15, 2023.