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Malaysia’s Anwar vows ‘no protection’ for close aides in corruption investigations
The prime minister has been accused of launching investigations targeting his political rivals while going soft on scandals closer to home
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday vowed not to interfere in corruption investigations into his own political appointees, after a slew of allegations were levelled at close government aides.
Last week, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, a senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, was implicated in a mining scandal in the state of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo.
Shamsul, who resigned from his post just hours after the revelation last Tuesday, is currently being held on remand by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
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The investigation has heaped scrutiny on Anwar, who came to power three years ago pledging to tackle Malaysia’s entrenched culture of political corruption. Instead, he has been accused of launching targeted corruption investigations into his political rivals – while going soft on scandals closer to home.
In response to an opposition member’s question about Shamsul’s case in parliament on Tuesday, Anwar said: “What else do you want me to do? You already saw a person in handcuffs and wearing the orange uniform, are you not satisfied?”
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