KUALA LUMPUR – Rasah MP Cha Kee Chin has questioned Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s (Pagoh-PN) motives behind waiting three years to highlight former finance minister Lim Guan Eng’s alleged move to revoke Yayasan Al-Bukhary’s tax exemption.
Cha, a DAP lawmaker, raised the matter while debating Budget 2023 for the Finance Ministry at the committee stage today, criticising Muhyiddin for revealing the information only after being charged in court.
Cha also asked the Finance Ministry to verify the former prime minister’s claims.
“Why did Pagoh (Muhyiddin) make this accusation only after he was dragged to court, when Bagan (Lim) had already resigned from his Finance Ministry position on February 24, 2020?” Cha asked.
“Three years without any accusation against Bagan, but when Pagoh was dragged to court by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), suddenly these claims were thrown at Bagan.”
Cha said he believed the Finance Ministry would have records on the matter if it were true, pointing out that the instruction to revoke tax exemptions can only be made by the Inland Revenue Board’s director.
He urged for Muhyiddin’s claims to be verified to avoid slander against Lim and Pakatan Harapan.
On Saturday, Muhyiddin alleged that Lim revoked the tax exemption for Yayasan Albukhary, a foundation of billionaire philanthropist Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, during his tenure as finance minister.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman defended his claims by adding that the tax exemption was approved during the rule of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Barisan Nasional (BN) government, and was only revoked when Lim took over the finance portfolio.
Yayasan Albukhary’s taxation issues were disclosed after Muhyiddin was slapped with four charges of abuse of power involving RM232.5 million and two charges of receiving RM195 million in illicit funds.
This morning, he was hit with an additional charge of money laundering involving RM5 million. – The Vibes, March 13, 2023
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