I was powerful but not corrupt, says ex-chief judge

August 14, 2024

I was powerful but not corrupt, says ex-chief judge

KUALA LUMPUR: Zaki Azmi said he did not give in to the temptation of accepting bribes even though he was a powerful man when he was serving as a senior federal counsel in the home ministry in the 1970s.

The former chief justice of Malaysia said he had learnt from his father, Azmi Mohamed, to become a leader with integrity. Azmi held the position of Lord President of the Federal Court from 1968 to 1974.

“I saw my father send away a man who brought us food at a time when provisions were scarce and precious.

“Later, I found out from my uncles that the man was to appear before him in court the following day,” Zaki said in his keynote speech at the national human resources leadership forum.

He said this lesson of integrity and honesty stayed with him as he climbed up the career ladder in the legal profession, resulting in him turning down several “favours” he was asked to perform as a lawyer and Federal Court judge.

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He recalled an instance when he was given a painting with a receipt attached. Upon receiving the gift, Zaki said he wrote a “polite” letter to the sender and had his driver return the painting.

Zaki also spoke about the times when acquaintances had tried to ask him to “help out” in their court cases, to which he always responded: “Don’t do this to me. You’re insulting me.”

When Zaki served as a federal counsel to the home ministry, he said, an officer had “tested” him by giving him a bundle of money wrapped in newspaper.

“The legal advisers and officers in the home ministry, who are in charge of making recommendations to the minister on all sorts of issues, said to me they could have made a lot of money (from accepting bribes), but they were proud that they were honest.”

In his speech about ethics, governance and leadership, Zaki also praised former prime ministers Hussein Onn and Abdul Razak Hussein, describing them as politicians who were “full of integrity”.

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He said Hussein Onn had used his own money to go to England for his child’s graduation ceremony while Razak had paid for his children’s tuition fees with his own funds.

“This is the kind of integrity you cannot get from any book. It’s in you,” Zaki, who served as Chief Justice from 2008 to 2011, said.

He expressed concern over corruption allegations levelled at officers, both in the current government and the private sector, warning that once an individual started accepting bribes, it was almost impossible to just stop there.

“The subordinates look at the top. If the top is like that (corrupt), the juniors will follow.

“If your heart says and feels that what you are tempted to do or offered to do is wrong, the chances are it’s wrong.”