Johari said he had received a motion from Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) on Feb 12.

“As a special committee has been established and investigations are being, or will be, carried out, the motion submitted (by Ramkarpal) is rejected,” he told the lower house.

Ramkarpal, who had sought an update on his motion, argued the committee’s probe should not bar parliamentary scrutiny of an issue of public interest.

“Although there is a committee conducting investigations, it is not a court of law,” he said, adding that he had filed the motion about a week before Chinese New Year, when the matter first surfaced and maintained that it was urgent.

However, Johari insisted that the Dewan Rakyat should allow the committee to complete its work first without interference.

“Once the findings or decisions are obtained in the near future, I may allow a debate to take place,” he said.

On Feb 22, Azam was summoned to give his statement to the special committee investigating the shareholding allegations levelled against him.

The special committee is led by Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar, who is joined by Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican and public services director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.

Bloomberg had reported that Azam held 17.7 million shares (1.7%) in Velocity Capital Bhd, based on the company’s annual return lodged on Feb 3 last year.

He is alleged to have breached a 2024 government circular restricting civil servants to holding no more than 5% of paid-up capital or RM100,000 in value, whichever is lower, in Malaysian-incorporated companies.

Azam has said the transaction was declared and the shares disposed of last year.

His lawyers have filed a lawsuit against Bloomberg, seeking RM100 million in damages.

Bloomberg has stood by its reporting.