KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s armed forces, which has been hit by a recent wave of corruption allegations involving its top brass, has chosen a new chief.
Malek Razak Sulaiman, who is currently the Army Western Field Commander Lieutenant-General, has been promoted to the 24th Chief of the Armed Forces, effective from Feb 1.
He was appointed with the consent of Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.
“Malek has been promoted to the rank of General upon assuming the post. His appointment followed the recommendation of the 633rd (Special) Armed Forces Council meeting held on Thursday and subsequently received the consent of Sultan Ibrahim yesterday,” Khaled said in a statement, as quoted by local media on Saturday (Jan 31).
Khaled added that during his nearly four decades of service, Malek had demonstrated exceptional capability, leadership and excellence.
The defence minister expressed confidence that the appointment will further strengthen the leadership and capabilities of the military in facing national defence challenges while reinforcing professionalism and integrity.
Malek began his military career in 1985 as an overseas officer cadet at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, United Kingdom, and was commissioned on Dec 11, 1987 with the rank of Second Lieutenant, according to local media platfrom The New Straits Times.
He worked as a platoon commander with the 21st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment before serving in various units and holding numerous command and staff appointments, local media reported.
He holds a Diploma in Strategic and Security Studies from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from King’s College London, and a Master of Social Sciences (Defence Studies) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Malaysia’s armed forces and its senior members have been the subject of a high-profile corruption probe in recent weeks.
Armed Forces’ Joint Forces Headquarters chief of staff Mohamed Fauzi Kamis was charged in court on Friday with criminal breach of trust involving RM5 million (US$1.27 million) of the Armed Forces Welfare Fund.
The 56-year-old was the third high-ranking military officer to be charged in just over a week.
On Jan 23, former armed forces chief Mohd Nizam Jaffar, was charged with receiving almost US$190,000 in bribes and misappropriating RM3 million of the Armed Forces Welfare Fund in June 2024 by making “additional investments” in a company named Precious Amber International Berhad without approval from the welfare fund’s investment committee.
Mohd, 59, pleaded not guilty to abuse of power and misappropriation in offences linked to the Armed Forces Welfare Fund.
A day before, former army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, 58, and his wife Salwani Anuar, 26, were charged with money laundering involving nearly RM2.2 million.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-appoints-malek-razak-new-armed-forces-chief-5897751
