Some institutions keep their findings in the dark long after the public has asked to see them, and here the government has chosen patience over disclosure in the matter of a former anti-corruption chief's share holdings. In a written answer to Parliament, the Law Minister explained that the outcome of the probe will remain private for now, weighed against privacy, investigation secrecy, and asset disclosure rules, even as the Prime Minister had once promised to lay bare a related report. The question hangs over a case that began in February, when the revelation that Azam Baki held sizeable sta
Azam Baki Shareholdings Report Stays Under Wraps Despite Anwar's Transparency Pledge
The probe finished in early March. The public still hasn't seen its findings.
Mark
Why does this reply matter if the probe is already finished?
Mimi
Because the panel wrapped up by early March, and months later the public still hasn't been told what it found. The reply confirms the cabinet has been briefed, but not the voters.
Luke
Worth noting what we don't know: the findings themselves. Nothing in the reporting says whether the panel found a breach.
Mark
And the prime minister's pledge?
Mimi
Anwar promised to reveal the corporate mafia report even if Azam was implicated. The reply is about the shareholdings probe, a related but separate matter, and it says release will be evaluated.
Luke
Careful there. The reporting says the two surfaced together and are related. It doesn't say the reports are the same document.
Mark
What reasons did Azalina give?
Mimi
Personal data protection, secrecy of investigation documents, asset disclosure records, and the interests of those involved.
Luke
Those are stated considerations, not a decision. She said the government will evaluate whether to release, so a no hasn't been issued either.
Mark
What would show movement?
Mimi
An announcement from the chief secretary, and a PSD Disciplinary Board meeting that was supposed to follow the panel's work.
Luke
And Azam denies wrongdoing. Holding shares above the circular's limits is what the records suggest, but no finding has been published.
Der Puls
- A former anti-corruption chief stands accused in the court of public opinion over shares that appear to exceed civil service limits, and he insists he did nothing wrong.
- A pledge of openness from the Prime Minister collides with a parliamentary reply that places the probe's findings behind privacy and secrecy shields.
- A panel of three senior officials has finished its work, and the cabinet has been briefed, yet no decision on release has been announced.
- The next moves are narrow and watchable: a chief secretary's decision on disclosure, and a PSD Disciplinary Board that has yet to convene on the findings.
Some institutions keep their findings in the dark long after the public has asked to see them, and here the government has chosen patience over disclosure in the matter of a former anti-corruption chief's share holdings. In a written answer to Parliament, the Law Minister explained that the outcome of the probe will remain private for now, weighed against privacy, investigation secrecy, and asset disclosure rules, even as the Prime Minister had once promised to lay bare a related report. The question hangs over a case that began in February, when the revelation that Azam Baki held sizeable stakes in two companies raised doubts about how a public servant's investments should be judged. Whether the promised transparency arrives, or quietly yields to process, will say much about how this country weighs its own pledges.
In a written reply to Parliament, the government said it is in no hurry to publish the findings of its investigation into the shareholdings of Azam Baki, the former head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. The answer, from Law and Institutional Reforms Minister Azalina Othman Said, sat awkwardly against an earlier promise from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to reveal a report on the related "corporate mafia" scandal, even if it implicated Azam.
The controversy began in February, when Bloomberg and Malaysiakini reported that Azam, while still MACC chief, had held significant stakes in two companies, well beyond what civil servants are permitted. Records showed large holdings in Velocity Capital Partner Berhad and Awanbiru Technology Berhad. Trading shares is not illegal for civil servants, but a 2024 circular bars them from buying holdings above five percent of a company's paid-up capital or worth more than RM100,000. Azam denies any wrongdoing.
The government set up a panel of three senior officials, which finished by early March. A PSD Disciplinary Board was meant to meet on its findings, but no decisions have been made public. The cabinet has been briefed, and the chief secretary is expected to announce whether the report will be released. Whether that happens, and whether the board finally convenes, remains to be seen.
In a written reply to Parliament yesterday, the government said it is in no hurry to make public the findings of its investigation into the shareholdings of Azam Baki, the former chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. The answer came from Azalina Othman Said, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Law and Institutional Reforms, and it landed awkwardly against an earlier promise from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar had pledged to reveal a report on the related "corporate mafia" scandal, even if it implicated Azam. The shareholding case surfaced at the same time as those allegations and became one of the major scandals of the year. Yet Azalina's reply indicates the outcome of the shareholdings probe will stay under wraps for now.
She was responding to Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong. The government, she wrote, will weigh whether the report needs to be released at all, taking into account several legal provisions: protection of personal information, the secrecy of investigation documents, asset disclosure records, and the interests of the people involved. Any decision, she said, would be announced by the chief secretary to the government. That repeats what she had said in July.
The controversy began in February, when Bloomberg and Malaysiakini separately reported that Azam, then still serving as MACC chief, held significant stakes in two companies that appeared to exceed what the civil service permits. Companies Commission records showed he had at some point held 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital Partner Berhad and about 4.52 million shares in Awanbiru Technology Berhad.
The Velocity Capital shares were believed to have been bought for around RM1.5 million. The Awanbiru holding was estimated at some point to be worth between RM1.24 million and RM1.38 million.
Trading in shares is not illegal for civil servants. But the 2024 Public Officers' Conduct and Disciplinary Management Circular bars them from buying shares worth more than five percent of a company's paid-up capital or RM100,000 at current value. Azam has denied wrongdoing.
The government did respond to the reports with an inquiry. A panel of three senior officials examined the matter: Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar, Public Service Department director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, and Treasury secretary Johan Mahmood Merican. They finished their investigation by early March, after which a PSD Disciplinary Board meeting was supposed to convene and deliberate on the findings.
But to date, decisions arising from the probe have not been made public. Azalina's reply did confirm that the cabinet has been briefed on the findings. What remains to be seen is whether the chief secretary announces a decision on release, and whether the PSD Disciplinary Board actually meets on the panel's conclusions.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The government will evaluate whether the report needs to be released, considering personal data protection, investigation secrecy, asset disclosure records and the interests of those involved.— Azalina Othman Said, in a parliamentary written reply to Khoo Poay Tiong
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