Malaysian MPs call for MACC reform and disclosure of Azam Baki investigation findings

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MACC reform & Azam Baki findings

Highlights

Bloomberg reported that Azam Baki owned 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital Partner Bhd worth RM800,000, exceeding the RM100,000 limit for public servants.
A special committee led by the Attorney General submitted its findings on the Azam Baki investigation to the Cabinet in February, but the report has not been made public.
Accounts worth RM409.21 million were frozen or seized following the corporate mafia investigation, but no MACC officials have been identified as involved so far, according to the Home Minister.

This article was translated from the original. Read the original version by our correspondent here.

Calls to disclose findings and review the law

As reported by The Edge Malaysia, citing Bloomberg, in February 2026, Azam Baki owned 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital Partner Bhd, worth approximately RM800,000, exceeding the RM100,000 limit for public servants. A subsequent Bloomberg report titled "Who’s Watching Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Watchdog?" also alleged that a network of MACC officials and businesspeople was involved in corporate takeovers, allegations denied by Azam and the MACC.

On 13 February, the Cabinet established a special committee chaired by Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar to investigate whether Azam had breached public service regulations. The committee has submitted its findings to the Cabinet, but the report has yet to be made public.

During the committee-stage debate on the 2027 Budget, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said disclosing the findings was important to guide reforms and prevent enforcement powers from being abused, including against political opponents. He also questioned the differing terms of reference between the February investigative committee and another separate committee established by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in October, and sought clarification on the outcome of the earlier investigation.

Syed Saddiq also alleged that political intimidation continued under successive governments, including through the reopening of old investigation files to pressure individuals into switching their political support. He said such practices would continue without transparent investigations, even when there was a change of government or leadership.

Implications for public confidence and enforcement

Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin called for amendments to the MACC Act to strengthen the commission’s independence in appointments, investigations, misconduct proceedings and parliamentary oversight. The chair of the Public Accounts Committee also questioned why the government had yet to provide a comprehensive explanation of the corporate mafia allegations through an independent investigation whose final findings could be scrutinised by the public.

She said the key question was how public confidence in the MACC could be strengthened if major allegations such as these were not openly addressed. The calls have made institutional governance an important theme in the debate on enforcement reform and public-sector integrity.

Separately, a police investigation into alleged corporate mafia activities under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001 has led to the freezing and seizure of accounts worth RM409.21 million as of 25 Sept. Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said the enforcement action showed that the allegations warranted further investigation, and reiterated his call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to be established.

In a written parliamentary reply last week, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the investigation was ongoing and that, based on witness statements taken so far, no MACC officials had been identified as being involved.

In our earlier article on the impact of the 1MDB scandal on corporate governance, we explored how failures in controls, audits and checks and balances continue to fuel debate over board accountability and the risks of political appointments at government-linked entities. We also discussed improvements to whistleblower protections through amendments to the 2010 Act, as well as the need for internal auditors to adopt a more proactive approach to detecting risks earlier.

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