Police descend on Bloomberg's KL office seeking journalists behind Azam-gate exposés

Police have visited the local branch of New York-based news giant Bloomberg yesterday to seek journalists behind the recent damning exposés on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and its chief, Azam Baki, in a move reminiscent of previous responses by authorities to media reports not complementary to the government.

MalaysiaNow has learnt that police arrived at Bloomberg's office in the Petronas Towers and asked for Tom Redmond and Niki Koswanage, the duo behind two explosive investigative reports published this month which detailed shocking instances of power abuse and extortion by MACC, as well as Azam's alleged links to individuals described as the "corporate mafia".

"They were not available when the police arrived," a source told MalaysiaNow.

It comes as Inspector-General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail separately announced that an investigation has been launched into a "plot to topple the government", involving an "influential individual" and an "international media agency".

"Investigations are ongoing and the public is advised not to speculate while police complete their investigation to respect the principles of the criminal justice system," he said in a statement, without naming the individual or the media outlet.

On Feb 12, Bloomberg published its investigative report on Azam, interviewing witnesses and victims of people known as the "corporate mafia" which it said were 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.

Amid protests, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has strongly defended Azam, whose tenure as MACC chief he has extended three times since coming to power.

Anwar has also come under fire over an "independent panel" he announced to investigate the allegations regarding Azam's share ownership.

The panel comprises Attorney-General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, Public Service director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, and Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican, all of whom are appointed by and report to the prime minister.

Beyond the share ownership, which Azam has since admitted to, pressure has been mounting on Anwar to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate allegations of Azam's ties with individuals known as the "corporate mafia".

Meanwhile, police have focused on Bloomberg, with a criminal defamation investigation opened by Bukit Aman's Classified Criminal Investigation Unit.

The investigation is being conducted under Section 500 of the Penal Code for defamation and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, both laws frequently used to silence government critics, journalists, and whistleblowers.

A similar investigation was carried out in 2024 following Bloomberg's report citing MACC sources that Anwar had instructed Azam to spare Farhash Wafa Salvador, the prime minister's former aide, from any corruption probe related to the controversial purchase of shares in a company awarded a lucrative government contract.

The report also claimed that Azam had told MACC officials that investigations into former leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his three sons, and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin were launched on Anwar's instructions.