DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has called upon the MACC’s four new honorary advisors to prove their worth by demanding a probe into commission chief Dzulkifli Ahmad and national investment fund 1MDB.
It was reported yesterday that the appointees are Mahsa Universiti chancellor Zaki Mohamed Azmi, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd chairperson Abu Zahar Ujang, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) director Ramon Navaratnam and Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation senior vice-chairperson Lee Lam Thye.
Lim proposed subjecting four of them to three tests to prove they would serve “credible and effective” roles in combating graft, and not be used to “camouflage the weaponisation of MACC to harass and persecute opposition leaders”.
“Firstly, whether they are allowed to discuss and decide on whether Dzulkifli should resign from the top MACC post.
“As his credibility and effectiveness had been gravely undermined by a scandal which had caused him to suddenly disappear from the public scene,” he said, referring to how the chief commissioner was previously accused of having an extramarital affair with a married woman.
The police are presently investigating the case. It is considered an offence under Malaysian law to entice a married woman.
Will advisors demand 1MDB probe?
Secondly, the Gelang Patah MP asked if the advisors would prod the MACC to investigate 1MDB.
“Will the four honorary MACC advisers be empowered to advise the MACC to launch a full-scale investigation into the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal?
“The MACC has been very busy recently, especially on corruption investigations and allegations against opposition leaders, but the MACC had been singularly and thunderously silent on the 1MDB scandal,” he added.
The MACC’s ongoing investigation into the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel project has so far seen 41 individuals and 20 agencies questioned. Opposition leaders have criticised the probe as being a “GE14 ploy” against the DAP-led Penang government.
In October, MACC arrested Parti Warisan Sabah president Shafie Apdal in connection with the alleged misappropriation of at least RM1.5 billion in development funds for Sabah.
Lastly, Lim called upon the advisors to call for an international campaign to mend Malaysia’s reputation as a “global kleptocracy”.
“Can the four honorary MACC advisors advise the MACC to launch an international campaign to clear and cleanse Malaysia of the infamy, ignominy and iniquity of being regarded worldwide as a ‘global kleptocracy’ as the result of the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal?” he asked.
