So, what has happened to the investigations? Has the money trail been traced and where does it lead to? End of the matter? What about the RM6 billion paid and there’s nothing to show? Where did the money go?

Former managing director of Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor in August pleaded not guilty to three charges of criminal breach of trust over the LCS scandal.

The 78-year-old former Royal Malaysian Navy chief was alleged to have authorised payments totalling more than RM21 million (US$4.7 million) to three companies without the approval of the board of directors of the company.

Rafizi may have gone into silent mode but what about other members of the cabinet who thumped their chests and promised a clean government? Are they going to watch with folded arms as the loot disappears without a trace?

Why have they taken their feet off the pedals? Are some of them complicit in the dirty deals of the LCS? Or were they recipients of some of the dirty money?

The MACC’s silence on the matter causes concern. While Azam was quick to announce the progress investigations into a High Court judge, he has yet to publicly comment on the developments on the LCS issue.

‘My brother did it’

But Azam himself has also not addressed the accusations against him. In December last year, economist and advocate of good governance, Edmund Terence Gomez, resigned as a member of an MACC panel after it failed to discuss reports implicating the top leaders at the anti-graft agency.

In his resignation letter, Gomez said disturbing questions had been raised about the “nexus between business and law enforcement” and a “conflict of interest” situation involving Azam and his extensive ownership of corporate stock.

Initially, in response, Azam said: “I don’t owe anyone any explanation about what actually happened back in 2015. However, as I’ve explained to the board members, my stock market account, at that time, was used by my brother Nasir to purchase shares.

“After that, in the same year, those shares were transferred to his own stock market account, when he got his own account.

“I don’t have any pecuniary benefit or personal interest in the purchases made (by my brother) in 2015,” he said.

Allowing a third party to use one’s account itself is an offence under section 25(4) of the Securities Industry (Central Depositories) Act 1991.

Subsequently, the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) announced that Azam operated the account that he had opened, in that he had given instructions to buy, sell and transfer securities from the said account.

But this does not absolve him of wrongdoing as he had breached a clause in the “Behaviour and Discipline Management of Public Service Officer” circular, which imposes conditions on share trading and ownership.

This circular issued by the Public Services Department states that civil servants are not prevented from purchasing shares provided as follows:

• Does not exceed 5 percent of the paid-up capital or RM100,000 of the current value whichever is lower in any one company which is incorporated in Malaysia;

• Does not exceed 5 percent of the paid-up capital in investment or industrial-centric companies established by state or federal governments.

With Anwar Ibrahim, Rafizi, and even Ahmad Zahid Hamidi extolling the virtues of a clean government and not brooking any signs of corruption, can we expect some action, or will it be the same as in the past?