Azam-gate: When is his turn, ex-minister asks after UK cops arrest King Charles' brother

The arrest of the brother of Britain's King Charles has turned the spotlight on the application of the rule of law to powerful figures in Malaysia, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim continues to defend Azam Baki more than a week after Bloomberg's damning report linked the top anti-graft chief to rogue individuals known as the "corporate mafia".

A former minister could not help but draw comparisons to the lack of any serious investigation by law enforcement agencies into Azam, who appears to have been bolstered by Anwar's support to remain at the helm of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Lawyer and former law minister Zaid Ibrahim was responding to news of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles's younger brother, who is among those in line for the British throne, over revelations of his involvement with US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The rare arrest of a senior British royal was hailed as a victory for the rule of law, at a time when no action has been taken against powerful politicians and businessmen despite their ties with the late paedophile being exposed by the recently released Epstein files.

Zaid expressed hope that Malaysia too would be governed by the rule of law "one day in the distant future".

"That's when a member of the King’s family can be arrested and investigated for abuse of public office," he said.

"For now, we are still grappling with whether an independent body can investigate the head of the most powerful investigative agency."

Last week, Bloomberg published two explosive revelations concerning Azam’s unusual wealth and shocking details of his ties with rogue individuals.

On Feb 12, it published an investigative story on Azam, interviewing witnesses and victims of people known as the "corporate mafia" working in cahoots with MACC officers to forcefully take over ownership of public-listed companies.

The report followed an earlier revelation that Azam held millions of shares worth approximately RM800,000 in a listed company, in violation of a government circular prohibiting public servants from such holdings.

Both Anwar and Azam have since scoffed at calls to remove Azam and to investigate him through the normal channels.

Instead, police announced that they were investigating Bloomberg for alleged defamation.

The government has since set up a special committee, led by top civil servant Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, to investigate the allegations – a move that has only sparked further criticism of Anwar's handling of the issue.

'Emperor without clothes'

Yesterday, another former minister launched a scathing attack on Anwar's handling of the scandal, after a viral clip showed the prime minister berating a reporter who asked about Azam's future at MACC following the Bloomberg exposé.

"The man does his work, why do you want to fire him? Read his explanation. It's a disease. Why do you condemn people who do work? Wrong," said Anwar, who has repeatedly extended Azam's tenure since coming to power.

"What kind of answer is that?" asked Khairy Jamaluddin in the latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast.

"A prime minister cannot answer in that manner. This issue, whether true or not, is about serious allegations related to the integrity of the very agency that oversees the nation's integrity. So you cannot dismiss it just like that." 

Khairy added that the prime minister appeared to suggest there was nothing wrong with being involved in crime as long as one is "hard working".

He agreed with a suggestion by co-host Shahril Hamdan that the prime minister and his supporters cannot continue to dismiss critics, saying it is like the story of the emperor with no clothes.

"In this case, it is like the emperor is naked. The emperor is naked, but the apple polishers around him are too scared to say that the emperor is naked."

Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail meanwhile asked if there is a web of interest linking those named as the "corporate mafia" in the Bloomberg report with people in power.

"This issue is not about politics. It is about the dignity of the institutions and the nation's integrity. Malaysians have the right to know the truth," he added.