FORMER Felcra Bhd chairmen Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin will appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday.
“The PAC will be calling the two former chairmen of Felcra this Monday to provide an explanation over the issue related to Felcra which was reported in the Auditor-General’s Report 2021 Series 2 on management of a Federal Government company,” PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin told a press conference in Parliament yesterday.Tajuddin was appointed Felcra chairman between 2008 and 2013 while Bung headed the government-owned company from 2013 to 2018.
The Auditor-General’s Report 2021 Series 2 had stated that Felcra’s debt arrears amounted to RM312.22mil as of Dec 31, 2021, up from RM82mil in the preceding year.
The Accountant General’s Department also found that Felcra owed the government RM3.67bil as at Dec 31, 2021.
The Federal Government also did not receive dividends from Felcra between 2019 and 2021.
It was reported the RM312.22mil loan had been converted from a government loan to equity was approved by the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 4, 2022.
Meanwhile, the PAC has decided to extend the hearing on the losses incurred over the procurement of defective ventilators for Health Ministry facilities in 2021 as revealed in the AG Report.
Mas Ermieyati said the proceedings will be extended for one more hearing on Sept 21 to call former Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Chen Chaw Min.
Also to be called, she said was former Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
She said the former minister was being called to provide further clarification and explanation into the issue as his name was mentioned in previous hearings.
“This is to be fair as the PAC wants to hear the explanation from Dr Wee,” she said.
However, she did not reveal the reason why Dr Wee was called, in line with Standing Order 85 which prevents divulging of any matters before the PAC has presented its report to Parliament.
Meanwhile, Dr Wee said he was ready to cooperate in the PAC’s proceedings.
“No problem, PAC! I will surely be present on Sept 21. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will assist with the queries,” he said in a post on his Facebook page.
Previous PAC hearings on the issue was held on June 15, Aug 22 and Sept 14 where former Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and former Health secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah were among witnesses called to testify.
The Auditor-General’s Report 2021 Series 2 released in February revealed that 108 units of ventilators obtained through the emergency procurement procedure could not be used while only 28 were working.
This cost the ministry RM13.07mil in losses, as it could not claim compensation for the 93 defective units due to the absence of a procurement documentation between the supplier and the ministry.
The ventilators were reportedly supplied by Pharmaniaga Bhd’s unit Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd.
