Azam made adviser in personal capacity, says anti-financial crime centre

PETALING JAYA: Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki was appointed to the advisory board of the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) in his personal capacity, the NFCC said today.

Its director-general, Shamshun Baharin Jamil, said Azam was appointed to the board with the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong effective Sept 20, 2024.

He added that Azam’s tenure was for three years, expiring on Sept 19, 2027.

“His membership on the NFCC advisory board is not tied to his previous post as MACC chief commissioner and remains in effect until the end of his tenure, unless the Agong terminates it earlier,” he said in a statement.

Azam ended his six-year tenure as MACC chief commissioner in May. He was succeeded by Abdul Halim Aman, a former High Court judge.

Yesterday, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin urged the government to explain why it appointed Azam to the NFCC advisory panel, citing past controversies linked to the former MACC chief.

Azam’s leadership of the anti-graft agency was shadowed by questions over his ownership of shares in listed companies and allegations that MACC officers were working with businessmen to force corporate takeovers.

Both Azam and MACC strongly denied the allegations.

Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar is the director of the advisory board while the other members are Shamshun, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail, Inland Revenue Board CEO Abu Tariq Jamaludin, and Bank Negara deputy governor Marzunisham Omar.