KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki was acting within the law when he said that a state government awarding a tender to a minister’s husband was not a crime, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
According to Section 5(5) of the MACC Act 2009, the MACC chief commissioner holds responsibility for instructing, controlling, and supervising all aspects of the anti-graft agency. This includes its operations and investigations, Anwar said in a parliamentary written reply yesterday.
“Meanwhile, Section 5(6) also stipulates that the chief commissioner shall also possess the powers of a deputy public prosecutor, as authorised by the public prosecutor for the purposes of this act,” he said.
He was responding to a question from Hassan Abdul Karim (Pasir Gudang-PH) regarding whether Azam had exceeded his jurisdiction by clearing the minister’s husband.
Hassan argued that Azam is only the head of an investigative agency, not the attorney-general or a public prosecutor.
It was previously reported that Azam said there was nothing wrong with the Selangor government awarding a contract to Asia Mobiliti, a tech company co-founded and run by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s husband.
He added that no law was broken since Yeoh’s ministry was not the one awarding the contract.
The appointment of Asia Mobiliti as one of two operators for Selangor Mobility’s Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot project, utilising technology solutions for a ride-on-demand service in selected areas of the state, recently sparked controversy due to perceived links to Yeoh and allegations of nepotism.
Azam also said MACC would not probe the matter as it was not an offence, as there was no link between Yeoh’s ministry and the Selangor government.
Asia Mobiliti was selected alongside Badanbas Coach for the DRT service to provide first and last-mile public transport services within the state. – July 11, 2024