Malaysia's anti-graft chief says open to probe on his shareholding after media report

Azam Baki will be investigated for holding shares above permitted limit

Malaysia's anti-corruption chief said on Friday he was willing to be investigated by a government committee amid calls for him to step down after a media report alleged he held shares in a company above the permitted limit for public servants.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki said he had "nothing to hide" as all his financial and asset declarations have been made according to public service laws.

"I am confident that the truth will prevail through a fair and independent process," he said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported, citing a corporate filing from last year, that Azam held 17.7 million shares in a financial services company that were currently worth about 800,000 ringgit ($205,000), well above the 100,000 ringgit limit allowed for public servants.

The report prompted opposition lawmakers and civil society groups to renew demands for Azam's resignation as well as major reforms to the anti-graft agency, including removing the prime minister's power to appoint the MACC chief.

Azam's trading activities had faced similar scrutiny in 2022 over allegations that he owned millions of shares in two publicly listed companies in 2015 and 2016, but the securities regulator said at the time it was unable to determine whether he had broken the law.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.