KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki says the agency needs Bersatu's Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan's help over claims he was offered a reward to support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"People do not know if his claim is true or otherwise, so it is our responsibility to obtain evidence," Azam told the New Straits Times.
Azam said MACC is hoping that Wan Saiful, the Tasek Gelugor member of Parliament, would assist the authorities in their probe.
He said MACC acknowledged that MPs enjoyed immunity for what they said in Parliament.
"But that is more in relation to legal action.
"What we want is for him to come to our headquarters and assist us in our investigations by giving us his statement," he said, adding Wan Saiful's help was needed as a witness.
"We hope he will cooperate because we want more details of what he revealed in Parliament,"
Azam said MACC had a responsibility to probe all claims of corruption and this was why they wanted Wan Saiful to provide more details on the matter even though they could not force him to.
Azam also said a report on the matter was lodged and this was why MACC was investigating.
"He is a person we need help from, we want to know what happened because he is a witness."
On Thursday, Wan Saiful told the Dewan Rakyat that he received a notice from MACC to get his statement on his claim recorded.
He said the notice has given him "unnecessary stress" and that it was unfair as he has retracted his remarks.
Wan Saiful also said the notice threatened the immunity of MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.
Subsequently, a lawyer, Goh Cia Yee said Wan Saiful did not need to worry about the notice as it could mean MACC was trying to obtain his statement as a witness.
Goh said if the MACC was considering prosecuting him, Wan Saiful might either seek dismissal on the grounds of the charge being groundless or apply to the High Court to be acquitted on grounds that the charges were unconstitutional.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/03/1026115/wan-saiful-shou...
