PUTRAJAYA, Sept 10 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has clarified that an integrity screening conducted on Halal Development Corporation’s (HDC) acting chairman, Datuk Azhari Shaari, found no active investigations against him at the time of the review.
The commission said its checks on October 30, 2024 revealed there were no open files or ongoing probes, and HDC was informed of this outcome on November 4, 2024.
“For the record, the nominee had previously been convicted under Section 471 of the Penal Code and fined RM1,900 by the Shah Alam Sessions Court on 23 October 2023, and this record remains in MACC’s Anti-Corruption Database Portal,” MACC said in a statement yesterday.
Section 471 of the Penal Code covers the offence of knowingly using a forged document as genuine, with punishment equivalent to that for forgery.
MACC stressed that the results of integrity screenings are meant only to guide the requesting organisation and do not carry binding effects.
The commission further advised all parties to avoid issuing statements or speculation that could mislead or undermine the integrity screeing process.
MACC’s statement came after Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari questioned the suitability of Azhari’s appointment to lead HDC, citing his past conviction.
In response, HDC noted that MACC had vetted its acting chairman and confirmed there were no active investigations against him at the time of the application.
