Azam has got “time management” problems as MACC has more than a decade to act on the RM9 billion LCS scandal

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner, Azam Baki has said that the MACC needs more time for its investigation into the troubled RM9 billion littoral combat ship (LCS) project.

He told a press conference the anti-graft agency needed some time to summon more witnesses, including a few who were overseas.

Azam has clearly got “time management” problems as MACC has more than a decade to act on the RM9 billion LCS scandal.

But his silence to my repeated questioning on why the three charges against the former BNS chairman, Ahmad Mohd Nor last month predated the LCS scandal and had nothing to do with it, but concerned other defence procurements, is an implied admission that the MACC has so far not acted on anyone on the RM9 billion LCS scandal.

This is most unsatisfactory and I hope that the Parliament Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department would meet urgently and summon Azam Baki to explain why the MACC had failed to take action against anyone for the RM9 billion LCS scandal although he had the benefit of two reports on the LCS scandal – the Special Investigation Committee on Public Governance, Procurement and Finance the LCS (JKUSTUPKK) headed by then auditor-general Ambrin Buang and the report of the forensic audit of the LCS procurement (2011-2014) carried out by Alliance IFA (M) Sdn. Bhd. at the behest of Boustead Heavy Industries Corp Bhd (BHIC) – which contained a myriad of possible charges on corruption, abuse of power, breach of trust, malpractices and cheating.

In fact, Azam should be queried why the MACC had not acted earlier as the origin of the LCS procurement went back more than a decade, to during the time when Najib Razak was the Defence Minister in the Abdullah Badawi cabinet.

The PSC on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department should specifically ask Azam whether the MACC had questioned Najib on the RM9 billion LCS scandal.

Or is the PCS on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department the first PSC to fail to make any difference in the governance of the country?