Investigation into Azam Baki's alleged misconduct remains open - LPPR chairman

He said the LPPR had no intention whatsoever to stop any further investigation into the allegations made against Azam, but would encourage it instead under the concept of the rule of law so that the MACC's good name and integrity would remain at the highest level possible in accordance with the law.

"As stated in the written media statement dated Jan 5, 2022, the investigation into the MACC's chief commissioner's alleged misconduct is still open to be pursued on the advice and supervision of the Attorney-General's Chambers.

"The LPPR's views and recommendations made on Jan 5, 2022, are neither intended nor aimed to stop any independent and authoritative agency to carry out an official and thorough investigation into the MACC chief commissioner's alleged misconduct.

"However, as the LPPR chairman, I realise and am well aware that the LPPR has no power to pursue its own investigation into any allegation of criminal misconduct involving an MACC officer," he told a special press conference here today.

Abu Zahar said the LPPR can only give its views and recommendations on how the investigations should be done in certain circumstances in line with the provisions of Section 13(5)(a) of Act 694 (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009).

Therefore, he said he would leave it to the absolute discretion of the government and Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to decide on his position as LPPR chairman if the Jan 5 statement had indeed tarnished the good name of the MACC.

"I am prepared to be investigated by any organisation at any time," he said.

Prior to this, allegations of Azam having interests and shareholding in several companies had gone viral on social media and, in a press conference on Jan 5, Azam denied that he had control over many companies, including conglomerates, describing all the allegations as malicious.

He said he had explained to the LPPR panel that his share trading account had been used by his brother for the latter's own transactions and that the shares of companies bought by his brother had nothing to do with the MACC's investigation.

In a separate press conference on the same day, Abu Zahar said the LPPR - of the five independent monitoring bodies of the MACC - has found no criminal conduct or conflict of interest involving Azam in share trading done in 2015.

In response to the statement issued by the six members of the LPPR, Abu Zahar said he was indeed disappointed with the statement and believed that it was done by the six members to distance themselves from the content of the Jan 5 media statement.

"I believe it was done on the basis of unpopular reactions from certain groups of people after the LPPR statement (on Jan 5) was not accurately and comprehensively reported by the media," he said.

While giving a chronology of events that led to the issuance of the statement by the six members, Abu Zahar said a closed-door meeting of the LPPR members was initially scheduled to take place at 10 am today (Jan 11) at the MACC Academy Office in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur to solve several urgent issues related to the Jan 5 statement.

"But on Jan 8, I found out that the six members of the LPPR had already convened a meeting among themselves without notifying me, and they had also issued a media statement," he said.

The statement issued by the six members said that the Jan 5 statement on the controversy involving the MACC chief commissioner did not reflect their actual views.

In their statement, the six members claimed that Abu Zahar's statements during the press conference on Jan 5, including that there was no criminal misconduct or conflict of interest in the case, were the personal views of the LPPR chairman.

The statement was signed by the six members namely Tan Sri Ismail Omar; Datuk Seri Azman Ujang; Datuk Seri Akhbar Satar; Datuk Dr Hamzah Kassim; Datuk David Chua Kok Tee; dan Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff.

The LPPR was established in accordance with Section 13 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (Act 694). LPPR members are individuals of high integrity appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who have an excellent track record in public service or achieved excellence in their respective professions.