IN many ways, Dzulkifli Ahmad was as resilient as Najib Razak, the former prime minister who had named him chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

An alleged affair with a married woman that came to light last October did not derail his job. Several blogs and YouTube accounts that detailed his alleged exploits were shut down.

Suffice to say that had Najib’s party won the 14th general election, Dzulkifli would have stayed on as MACC chief given the powerful backing of some of Najib’s aides despite the alleged affair.

The allegations came at the height of his campaign for high-profile arrests and asset seizures of people who fell foul of Najib and some of his powerful aides.

Among those held were former Felda chairman Isa Samad and even Warisan Sabah president Shafie Apdal, who is now the Sabah chief minister.

Others caught were a former state exco member in Johor, an aide to the former Malacca chief minister and even a potential Umno candidate nabbed for suspected drug abuse in a high-end karaoke parlour in Kuala Lumpur.

Despite the blitz, most of the arrests and seizures did not end up with any charges preferred on the suspects due to insufficient evidence for a credible case – leading to the belief it was just done for publicity purposes.

There was speculation that Dzulkifli was to quit or be sacked earlier this year but he prevailed as the Najib government decided to keep most of the senior civil servants ahead of the general elections that was finally held on May 9.

Prior to being named MACC chief commissioner, Dzulkifli had led the National Revenue Recovery Enforcement Team at the Attorney-General’s Chambers. 

In August 2016, he took over as MACC chief from Abu Kassim Mohamed. The Kolej Islam graduate was seen as perfect for the job due to his religious nature although the alleged affair tarnished his reputation.

It was later learnt that he did marry the woman in the affair but the marriage is now being challenged in a Kota Baru syariah court. – May 14, 2018.