When MACC itself looks like a suspect
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) often casts the limelight on the individuals it investigates. Lately, however, the anti-graft commission itself has taken the centre stage. What began as a pair of Bloomberg reports on 10 and 12 February has since escalated into a political, institutional and public controversy, placing the agency, its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki and the country’s governance framework under increased scrutiny. The controversy has widened from questions about shareholdings to broader allegations of corporate intimidation, institutional overreach and the adequacy of existing oversight mechanisms. By last Friday, the cabinet relented following public pressure and was openly discussing the possibility of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI). The first Bloomberg exposé revealed that Azam held 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital Partner Bhd — valued at roughly RM800,000 — rekindling scrutiny reminiscent of the 2021-2022 shareholding uproar. The...