KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Tan Sri Azam Baki has asserted that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has nothing to do with Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid’s sudden support for Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim as alleged.

Azam who is the MACC chief, said the allegation made by Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin was ill-intended and an attempt to tarnish the commission’s image, The Sunday Star reported today.

"The statement by the Opposition leader alleging that we had had a hand in the MP’s decision is ill-intended and is an attempt to tarnish the MACC’s image.

"The fact is, we had nothing to do with the statement he made,” he was quoted as saying.

"Any speculation as to why the MP had made the statement should not be linked to us. As I have said, we have nothing to do with this matter,” he added.

Iskandar Dzulkarnain who is with PN component Bersatu — the same party as Hamzah — issued a statement in which he declared his support for the Anwar administration.

A day later, Hamzah claimed his party colleague was blackmailed into making the statement of support after being threatened by an unnamed senior MACC officer with corruption charges on October 1 at a hotel in Damansara here if he refused.

According to Hamzah, Anwar’s "unity government” was using underhanded tactics to gain two-thirds control in Parliament.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has since rejected Hamzah’s allegation, saying Iskandar Dzulkarnain’s support for the Anwar administration was the latter’s personal decision.