Malaysia’s King says he will choose a new anti-graft chief

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s king said that he would select a new anti-graft chief, the first official confirmation that current head Azam Baki’s term will not be renewed when it ends next month.

“I will determine who is the best candidate to lead the MACC from now on,” Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor, the current monarch, said on Thursday (Apr 23), referring to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. He added that “there is no need for any party to politicise the matter”.

Representatives for the palace, the Prime Minister’s Office and the MACC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Azam, 62, has been under scrutiny since Bloomberg News published two reports in February. One focused on shareholdings in a financial services firm that were worth more than the allowed limit for public officials. The other contained allegations that a group of businessmen was working with MACC officials to intimidate executives and oust them from companies.

Azam and the MACC strongly denied the allegations in the reports.

Azam’s one-year term is due to end on May 12. The MACC chief commissioner is chosen by the king on the advice of the prime minister. BLOOMBERG