No Criminal Element Found In Probe Involving BAM Senior Official - Azam Baki

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 21 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed there are no criminal elements linked to the case involving allegations that a Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) senior official had taken allowances without the approval of BAM council members.

Its chief commissioner, Tan Sri Azam Baki said that a complete report on the investigation will be sent to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh as there were some matters to address.

“The investigation is complete and the deputy public prosecutor has decided that there is no criminal case that can be brought against the individual.

“The MACC will send a complete investigation report on the matter with several governance issues that we see, along with a few matters that require attention,” he said at a special media conference here today.

He also stressed that the MACC investigation was on the senior official and did not involve BAM.

“Many are confused, as if we are investigating the institution. We are, as I have stressed before, we are investigating the individual due to a poison pen letter to the MACC,” Azam said.

In a separate development, he shared that the commission was still probing Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) over the misappropriation of training fund levies through Op Fund, adding that the case is being managed by MACC Governance Investigation Division director Datuk Mohd Zaki Hassan with focus on the weaknesses in the system and procedures within HRD Corp.

He also stressed that the investigation involved criminal aspects under the MACC Act 2009 or the Penal Code and did not merely involve matters linked to the audit report.

“So in this matter, I would like to correct a mis-statement made by my enforcer to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in a previous meeting that the HRD Corp case is closed.

“… our officers are continuing investigations in further detail,” he said.

The PAC had sought an explanation on Dec 9 over the MACC’s action of classifying the HRD Corp investigation as NFA (no further action).

On the padi fertiliser corruption case linked to the National Farmers Organisation (NAFAS) under Op Ladang, Azam said a former general manager will be charged this month, adding that the MACC has completed the investigation paper and handed it to the deputy public prosecutor on Dec 13, 2024 with two recommended charges against the former manager.

-- BERNAMA