SUNGAI Buloh MP Sivarasa Rasiah has accused the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of embarking on a witch-hunt, targeting his staff in revenge for raising allegations about the agency’s chief, Azam Baki, in Parliament last month.

The PKR lawmaker said his service centre manager, Naveen K. Rasiah, who is also his nephew, was summoned by the Kuala Lumpur MACC two days ago and told that he would be investigated for alleged corruption over a case in 2017.

“Now, a month after I have raised the issue of Azam’s ownership of shares in Parliament on December 14, 2021, an allegation, which has no basis, has suddenly been revived by MACC to charge my staff, Naveen,” Sivarasa said in a statement today. 

The case involving Naveen four-and-a-half years ago did not see any action taken after investigations by MACC were completed in September 2017.

In the case then, Sivarasa had reported to the Immigration Department the allegedly corrupt activities of a Bangladeshi businessman named Monomiah Siddikur Rahman, who was obtaining work permits for his countrymen as cleaners and staff in hotels by using forged documents. 

Sivarasa said he had written to the director-general of immigration on the matter, urging him to take action.

Instead, Naveen and two of his other service centre staff members, Joshua Kalaisevan and Nico Kam, were arrested by MACC on September 21, 2017, and remanded for four days.

Their alleged offence was solicitation of money from Monomiah in return for dropping the matter, Sivarasa said.

He denied that Naveen and his other staff had ever done such a thing and called the allegations completely false, malicious and without bases. 

Sivarasa said he had also given his statement to MACC at the time and that no charges were brought against either of his staff on the said matter.

“MACC made it clear to me that I was not regarded as having anything to do with the arrangement to meet Monomiah and that was done by my staff,” he said.

“No charges were brought against any of my staff, including Naveen, upon release from remand. 

“I am sure that if any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Naveen or the others had been found, MACC would have charged them immediately.”

Sivarasa said MACC’s action reeks of a personal vendetta intended to tarnish the image of his service centre.

“This reprisal action will only serve to further damage MACC’s reputation as it will be seen as being motivated by personal factors and ulterior motives,” he said. 

Sivarasa said this will not make him or other MPs back off from raising Azam’s share ownership controversy in Parliament, adding that MACC is resorting to intimidation tactics.

He urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to take action as MACC’s integrity is being tarnished and is making Ismail’s statements on fighting corruption sound hollow.

On December 14, Sivarasa raised the issue of Azam’s alleged ownership of millions of shares in the Dewan Rakyat, asking if the chief commissioner had declared them and called for an investigation.

Azam has come under scrutiny over his share ownership in two public-listed companies in 2015 and 2016 when he was MACC’s head of investigations.

He said his brother, Nasir, had used his trading account and that the shares were later transferred to the brother.

But the Securities Commission (SC), after completing its probe into the matter, said Azam had always been in control of his trading account, clearing him of any wrongdoing.

Opposition politicians and civil society groups have accused Azam of lying and are urging SC to provide more proof.

Questions also abound on whether Azam had breached civil service regulations limiting the ownership of shares more than RM100,000 in value and if he followed requirements to declare his assets.

Azam is said to have owned 2.15 million shares in Excel Force MSC Bhd in 2015 as well as 1.93 million shares in Gets Global Bhd in the same year and 1.02 million shares the following year. – January 23, 2022.