PSC meeting to discuss Azam Baki’s share ownership postponed

KUALA LUMPUR: The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) meeting to discuss the issue of share ownership involving Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki scheduled for Wednesday (Jan 19) has been postponed to a later date.

The matter was confirmed by a member of the PSC on Agencies Under the Prime Minister’s Department, Khoo Poay Tiong who is also Kota Melaka Member of Parliament.

He said the postponement was to seek the opinion of Parliamentary legal advisers before taking further action.

“Azam Baki has given three reasons why he does not want to attend the meeting and the committee chairman said we need to seek the advice of the Parliamentary legal advisers,” he said when contacted by Bernama here yesterday.

The committee chaired by Kuala Krai MP Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman also includes Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Pasir Salak-Umno), Datuk Mohd Nizar Zakaria (Parit-Umno), Anyi Ngau (BaramGabungan Parti Sarawak), Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir ( Setiu-PAS), William Leong Jee Keen (Selayang-PKR) and Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman (SepanggarWarisan).

Earlier, Khoo reportedly said that he and three other members of the committee had written a letter to Dewan Rakyat secretary Dr Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin asking for Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to convene a meeting to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, Leong, Chan, Mohd Azis and another member of PSC committee, Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka), said Abdul Latiff had erred in postponing the meeting.

The four lawmakers said that Azam Baki’s claim that the meeting was improper as he was already under investigation elsewhere and has filed a related lawsuit, were questionable.

“We strongly disagree with the reasons given by Azam Baki. We would like to emphasise that Azam Baki should have attended before us at the PSC meeting to raise these issues, instead of disregarding the letter of summons from Parliament, until [Parliament secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin] adjourned the scheduled PSC meeting just to refer the matter legal officers or the attorney general.

“Other matters such as terms of reference, list of other witnesses can be discussed and fixed,” they said. They then demanded that a new hearing date be set immediately.