PUTRAJAYA (ANN/THE STAR) – Tan Sri Azam Baki, Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), has disclosed that a former prime minister and his aides will be summoned to elucidate the utilisation of MYR700 million allocated for promotions and publicity during their administration.
Azam stated, “We will be calling him soon, either this week or next week at the latest.” The investigation delves into the spending of MYR700 million by the two previous Federal governments between 2020 and 2022 for promotions and publicity.
He clarified that the inquiry primarily focuses on how the allocation was spent and the companies involved in government promotion campaigns. Companies linked to the case have already been summoned.
Azam affirmed that the MACC will also call individuals from the former prime minister’s office as part of the normal investigative procedure.
The probe was initiated following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s disclosure in November about the MYR700 million spending for government promotion since 2020.
The bulk of the expenditure was attributed to the eighth prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, with the remaining handled by his successor, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who Anwar noted did not utilize the entire sum. The MACC had previously sought information from the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Department regarding the case.
