PM should act proactively and advise the King to remove Azam, says PKR man

Iklan
Akmal Nasir urge for PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob to act proactively and advise the King to remove Azam Baki as MACC chief.
SHAH ALAM -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob must act proactively and use the power under his discretion to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to remove Tan Sri Azam Baki from his post, said Johor Bahru MP Akmal Nasir.

In a Facebook post today, Akmal said Ismail Sabri is empowered under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, Section 5, (3) to advise the King to remove Azam as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief commissioner.

Akmal also stated that Ismail should also amend the aforementioned law and place the MACC under the purview of Parliament.

"This means any decision to fire or suspend MACC chief commissioner can be initiated by the Prime Minister as based on existing laws that we have today.

"That is why Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) opined as what was stated during the 'Konvoi Selamatkan SPRM' (save MACC convoy) in Putrajaya last Monday that the Prime Minister should be bolder in upholding integrity.

"He (the Prime Minister) must be more proactive to resolve this issue immediately and subsequently amend the law as the process of appointing MACC chief commissioner went through a process via Parliament,'' he said.

Akmal further stated that Ismail Sabri supposed inaction will continue to weaken MACC's integrity.

Previously, questions were raised on Azam's credibility after a whistleblower revealed that the MACC chief commissioner had owned two million shares in public listed companies.

In a special press conference on Jan 5, Azam told media members that he had no interest or benefits in the shares purchased.

Azam said had the shares were bought through the open market by his brother, Nasir Baki, using his own funds, and the shares of companies bought by his brother had nothing to do with the MACC's investigation.

Securities Commission Malaysia, on the same day, released a statement that they will be calling Azam for questioning in regards to this.

According to Section 25 of the Securities Industry (Central Depositories) Act (SICDA), the SC said every securities account opened with a central depository must be in the name of the beneficial owner of the deposited securities or in the name of an authorised nominee.

The regulatory authority further wrote that Section 29A of Security Industry (Central Depository Act) 1991 stipulates that all dealings in securities shall be effected only by the beneficial owner of the securities or an authorised nominee.