Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is set to drop under-fire Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Azam Baki when his tenure expires on May 12, high-level sources told The Straits Times.
This comes as accusations of abuses against the anti-graft agency and its leader have grown louder since February.
Those allegations, which date back to when Azam was first named MACC chairman in 2020, two years before Anwar came to power, have intensified in recent months.
No fourth extension amid mounting pressure
According to government and legal sources familiar with the situation, Azam will not receive a fourth annual extension from a government under pressure to take sterner action against the anti-corruption chief.
“PM has repeatedly stressed to Cabinet in recent weeks that Azam won’t be renewed,” an official source told The Straits Times on condition of anonymity as the discussions were confidential.
Reports in February 2026, especially from US-based news agency Bloomberg, alleged that the MACC has for years abused its wide-ranging powers to extort from and manipulate corporate figures.
Those claims have sparked an uproar and protests calling for Azam to be suspended pending investigations.
Calls for action from within Pakatan Harapan
The calls have even come from within the Prime Minister’s own Pakatan Harapan coalition.
Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli, who was until May 2025 the deputy president of Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat, attended the “Arrest Azam Baki” rally in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 15, along with several other lawmakers from the party.
This followed fresh news that Azam breached shareholding rules for civil servants on several occasions, including as recently as January.
The latest breach came despite earlier controversy over the same offence in 2021.
Task force formed to probe violations
The government responded by appointing a task force made up of the Attorney-General, the secretary-general of the Treasury and the head of the public service department to investigate the claim.
