At a press conference this afternoon, board chairman Abu Zahar Ujang said they had sought an explanation from Azam on the matter.
“Azam had explained that his share account was used by his brother, Nasir Baki, to purchase shares that he (Azam) did not have any pecuniary interest in.
“The purchase of shares was made in the open market in 2015 and there was no conflict of interests,” he said.
The shares were then transferred to Nasir’s account that same year, said Abu Zahar.
He said the board was satisfied with Azam’s explanation and found no element of conflict of interests.
“The ACAB had planned to make a statement on the matter at a certain time. Unfortunately, the issue was raised first by former panel member Edmund Terence Gomez, which surprised me,” he said.
He reiterated that he never received any letter from Gomez on the matter.
“I’m always open to discussing (the issue) with Gomez because we won’t compromise or protect anyone regardless of their position.
“I am of the view that any complaint must be accompanied by strong evidence,” he said.
On calls for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into Azam’s ownership of shares, Abu Zahar said there was no need for one.
“I don’t think an RCI is necessary. I think this can be settled without an RCI which costs a lot of money, so let’s be more reasonable. This is a very simple matter.”
However, he said he would leave it to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to decide.
Previously, there had been claims of a conflict of interest involving Azam and his alleged extensive ownership of corporate stock, prompting Gomez to resign from the MACC Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel over its failure to discuss the allegations.
In his resignation letter, Gomez, an economist and academician, said “disturbing” questions had been raised about the “nexus between business and law enforcement” and a conflict of interest involving the MACC chief.
Abu Zahar subsequently said they had not received any letter from Gomez in regards to the allegations against Azam.
He was also reported to have said that Gomez could have brought his complaint to him or filed a police report so appropriate action could be taken.
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