LIM Guan Eng has asked the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) whether it will continue to seek revenge on opposition lawmakers who demand answers from chief commissioner Azam Baki on his shares trading scandal.

The anti-graft agency’s action will not shake the opposition, who will not back down from seeking the truth, he added.

His comment comes after the anti-graft agency charged Sungai Buloh MP R. Sivarasa’s nephew, Naveen K. Rasiah, and ex-service centre employee, Nico Kam, for allegedly accepting bribes from a foreign national to “close a case” of abuse of academic credentials for the admission of migrant workers.

The pair pleaded not guilty to three charges brought under section 16(a) of the MACC Act 2009 and were each granted bail of RM10,000 at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court earlier today.

Sivarasa yesterday accused the MACC of embarking on a witch-hunt targeting his staff in revenge for raising allegations concerning its chief commissioner in Parliament last month.

“How many more opposition MPs and leaders will MACC persecute as an act of reprisal and revenge for pursuing Azam’s lies that his shares trading account was operated by proxy by his brother to cover up his unexplained wealth and shares trading involving millions of ringgit?” asked Lim.

“Since the opposition raised the shares shenanigans in Parliament, does that mean its lawmakers can expect to be hounded and framed with trumped-up charges by the agency?

“MACC is sadly mistaken if it believes that opposition MPs will back down from seeking the truth. We will not desist, but persist to get to the bottom of this.”

Sivarasa raised Azam’s alleged ownership of millions of shares in Parliament on December 14, asking whether the latter declared the purchases.

Azam has come under scrutiny over his ownership of shares in two public-listed companies in 2015 and 2016. He was then investigations director.

He said his brother used his trading account to buy the shares, which were later transferred to the latter.

But the Securities Commission (SC), after completing its investigation, said Azam had always been in control of his trading account and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Lim slammed the chief commissioner for lying, when the SC said he had full control of his trading account.

Azam can save his image only by going on leave and the MACC can salvage its reputation only by stopping the intimidation of opposition MPs, he added.

“Azam has been caught lying, as the SC revealed that his trading account was solely operated by him and not by proxy.

“Azam has refused to explain his lie and source of wealth to be able to afford shares trading amounting to millions of ringgit, but persisted to insist that the SC has cleared him of any wrongdoing when this is not the case.” – January 24, 2022.