This comes after Hafizuddeain was ordered to go on leave pending investigations into corruption allegations levelled against him.

Khaled said the decision to promote Hafizuddeain to head of the armed forces to replace Nizam Jaffar was made at the 631st armed forces council meeting on Nov 19.

“Navy chief Zulhelmy Ithnain will act as armed forces chief, as announced on Dec 27,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the chief of staff of the armed forces headquarters, Azhan Othman, has been appointed as the new army chief to replace Hafizuddeain, effective tomorrow.

Khaled said this was also decided at the armed forces council meeting, with the king giving his royal assent on Dec 1.

“I am confident that this appointment can strengthen the army’s leadership and increase the operational capacity of the armed forces to fulfill the nation’s current and future defence demands,” he said.

Hafizuddeain was put on leave following claims of “large cash inflows” into the bank accounts of a senior military officer and his family members. The funds were allegedly transferred from accounts belonging to firms that obtained military contracts.

Last week, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission reportedly recorded statements from three people as part of its investigation into military procurement contracts.

A source from MACC said initial checks revealed that several companies repeatedly secured high-value military contracts, which raised suspicions.

Another source said investigators visited the defence ministry to begin a preliminary probe into several projects involving the army from 2023.