PETALING JAYA - Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz has said he will fully cooperate if called by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over an investigation into Covid-19 financial aid during the Muhyiddin Yassin administration.
Taking to social media, Mr Zafrul, who was the finance minister at the time, said he has nothing to hide.
“I will give full cooperation,” he tweeted on Saturday.
“The media asked me about Jana Wibawa. There is nothing I need to hide and I am always ready to provide an explanation if asked to do so,” Mr Zafrul said.
This came after Tan Sri Muhyiddin on Saturday pointed out that the Jana Wibawa programme was proposed by the then finance minister to help bumiputera contractors affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
At a press conference on Saturday, the former prime minister said he was called up by the MACC to facilitate investigations as a witness, not a suspect, over the programme.
Mr Muhyiddin, chairman of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, stressed that the MACC’s investigating officer did not question him on the alleged billions said to have been accumulated during his tenure as prime minister.
“I explained to the MACC that only the Finance Ministry had the power to approve and select the companies, whereas the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was involved to suggest names of the companies. The power to approve was not with the PMO,” said Mr Muhyiddin.
Last Wednesday, Rural and Regional Development Minister Zahid Hamidi announced that rural development projects worth RM5.7 billion (S$1.7 billion) under Jana Wibawa had been halted temporarily.
This, he said, was only until the procurement and expenditure procedures set by the Treasury are followed.
Zahid said the Finance Ministry, headed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, wanted to check if the projects were awarded according to government requirements.
Aside from Mr Muhyiddin, several other senior Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) leaders have also been questioned by the MACC.
Earlier in February, it was reported that the MACC froze two of Bersatu’s bank accounts to facilitate investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act.
The two accounts reportedly contained about RM40 million.
A MACC source claimed the account freeze was over allegations that Bersatu received contributions of about RM300 million from some 10 contractors who gained various projects when the party was running the government.
Mr Muhyiddin, who was the Bersatu president, denied the charges.
He said he would write a letter to the MACC requesting the accounts to be unfrozen, as it was hampering the party’s operations, such as paying staff wages and office rentals. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
