Abdul will be replacing the incumbent Azam Baki, whose tenure ends on 12 May. The announcement was made by the chief secretary, Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar in a press statement on 25 April.
Abdul’s appointment as the new chief comes amid rising public pressure for stronger accountability and institutional reform within the anti-corruption agency.
This leadership change follows years of allegations against Azam regarding his ownership of shares in public-listed companies and alleged links to corporate influence, which has resulted in the Tangkap Azam Baki campaign, a multi-year movement of street protests and civic society-led advocacy that resulted in a major rally on 25 April, demanding his arrest and a total overhaul of the MACC.
Azam has led the MACC since March 2020 and continued in the role beyond the mandatory retirement age through a series of one-year contract extensions from 2023 to 2025.
Earlier this year, the defence ministry said it would adopt an environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework to enhance transparency and credibility, amid MACC investigations into alleged irregularities in military procurement that saw several army officers detained to assist in an investigation.
Later in February, senior environmental officials were also detained as part of a probe into alleged abuse of power and corruption linked to the management and importation of electronic waste.
In appointing the new MACC chief, Shamsul confirmed the government’s support, stating that it is confident that Abdul’s extensive experience and high integrity will help strengthen governance, rebuild public trust, and intensify efforts to fight corruption.
Hailing from Malacca, Abdul obtained an undergraduate law degree from Universiti Malaya in 1982. He later completed a master’s degree in law at the University of Hull in 1996.
In his legal career, Abdul has held several notable positions including federal counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers, magistrate in Kluang and Muar, Pahang state legal adviser and sessions court judge in Tawau, Sandakan, Kuala Lumpur, George Town and Ampang.
He was appointed judicial commissioner at the Temerloh High Court in 2005 before being elevated to high court judge in 2007. He later served at the Penang and Johor Baru High Courts and spent a decade at the Shah Alam High Court until retiring in March 2023.
