[UPDATED] MoF officials confirm serious procedure breach by Muhyiddin’s govt on RM600 bil fund

PUTRAJAYA – Officials from the Finance Ministry have confirmed that there were serious breaches of procedure regarding the alleged RM600 billion misappropriation of government funds under former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s rule, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking to the press after his first cabinet meeting today, the newly minted prime minister explained that he has now handed over the investigation to the relevant authorities.

“We have not raised or discuss it (a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the matter) with the cabinet. I leave it to our friends and the cabinet to decide on the matter, but what I do know is that there were a few serious breaches of procedure.

“There were excessive procurements and when it was approved, the markup was too high, and it went to certain parties, seeing that they had so much money to spend (during elections),” said Anwar.

However, the Tambun MP stressed that his focus is not going on an all-out witch hunt against any particular individuals but instead, on strengthening and rebuilding the nation’s economy.

He added that there have been multiple appointment requests by investors from India, China, Europe, and the US.

Touching on whether or not he will review Budget 2023, the prime minister said there would be a revision but he is confident that most of the budget will be accepted by his administration.

On another note, Anwar also called for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition to stop their criticism of the royal institution over the issue of his appointment.

“Agong acted based on the powers within the federal constitution to appoint the prime minister, even though Muhyiddin claimed he has 115 MPs (supporting him) but by the time the deadline was over at 2pm the following day, Umno MPs retracted their support and GPS left the decision making to the Agong.

“The Conference of Rulers also made a unanimous decision regarding the matter. Therefore, I feel that it is time we accepted this fact and don’t question the wisdom of the Agong,” he said.

Anwar added that this was the reason behind the police’s decision to conduct their investigations against PAS chief Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.

He explained that there were no instructions on the matter by the prime minister nor his administration but also recalled that the Conference of Rulers had issued a strong statement against racism and religious extremism. 

He pointed out that the royals had instructed everyone to follow the federal constitution, therefore any criticisms should not be laid out against the prime minister or the administration.

“I have never issued the instructions. Instead, I’ve informed the police inspector-general that criticisms are allowed in a democratic system and it also gives me the space to reply,” said Anwar. – The Vibes, December 5, 2022

Additional reporting by Amar Shah Mohsen