Corruption fatigue

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From JJ Singam

In what must seem to be becoming an alarmingly regular occurrence, yet another corruption-related scandal has burst onto the arena of both regular and social media.

This time it involves Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki. It concerns shares in a public-listed company purchased in his personal trading account in 2015 allegedly by his brother but with his knowledge and permission and which was subsequently transferred to the brother’s account.

This follows hot on the heels of other allegations that he has shareholding interests in other companies as well. A career anti-corruption officer dating back from 1984, he rose through the ranks and was MACC director of investigation in 2015 when this incident happened, and has since risen to the top as chief commissioner since 2020.

It is noteworthy that another chief commissioner of the MACC was also embroiled in a scandal in 2019 whereby allegations of interference in the infamous 1MDB case involving a former prime minister arose, and where he again allegedly was featured among others in nine audio clips of phone conversations in 2016 which were construed as possible attempts to manipulate information and exonerate the former prime minister.

Uproar and outrage… these would be among the emotions one would expect when the very institution that was created to weed out corruption and bring the corrupt to justice appears to become embroiled in matters that are embarrassing at best and potentially threaten the integrity and trust in the agency.

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