International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
PETALING JAYA: International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said he will fully cooperate if called by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over an investigation into Covid-19 financial aid during the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin administration.
Taking to social media, Tengku Zafrul, who was the finance minister then, said he has nothing to hide.
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"I will give full cooperation," he tweeted on Saturday (Feb 18).
"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," Zafrul said.
This came after Muhyiddin on Saturday pointed out that Jana Wibawa 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 Jana Wibawa programme.
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The Perikatan Nasional chairman stressed that 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 Muhyiddin.
On Wednesday (Feb 15), Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that rural development projects worth RM5.7bil under Jana Wibawa had been halted temporarily.
This, he said, was only until the procurement and expenditure procedures set by the Treasury are followed.
Ahmad Zahid said the Finance Ministry, headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, wanted to check if the projects were awarded according to government requirements.
ALSO READ: 'I'll sue those saying I am corrupt', says Muhyiddin
Aside from Muhyiddin, several other senior Bersatu leaders have also been questioned by the MACC.
Earlier this month, it was reported that 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 RM40mil.
An MACC source claimed the account freeze was over allegations that Bersatu received contributions of about RM300mil from some 10 contractors who gained various projects when the party was running the government.
Muhyiddin, who was the Bersatu president, denied the charges and said he would write a letter to MACC requesting the accounts to be unfrozen as it was hampering the party’s operations, such as paying staff wages and office rentals.
