KUALA LUMPUR – Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang-PN) today appeared to deflect blame for a police report against Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH) relating to the Yayasan Albukhary tax exemption debacle.
Speaking in Parliament, Wan Fayhsal, who is also Bersatu Youth chief, dismissed accusations of him having insulted parliamentary proceedings, saying that the police report was not lodged under his name.
“I did not make the police report. (The person who filed it) was a Bersatu Youth member.
“I was just there (at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters) to read out the report. How have I committed wrong against the House?” he questioned, to which opposition lawmakers could be heard cheering.
According to a copy of the police report sighted by The Vibes, it was filed by a private secretary to Wan Fayhsal.
Earlier on, Wan Fayhsal cited Standing Order 36(6) which stipulates that no member shall impute improper motives to any other member, after RSN Rayer (Jelutong-PH) once again called on him to explain the police report.
“I have been informed that an official letter (from the Dewan Rakyat speaker’s office) has been sent to Machang (Wan Fayhsal).
“Has he explained his extreme behaviour of accusing the prime minister of lying?” Rayer pressed, referring to the police report alleging that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Tambun-PH) had misled the house when he explained in Parliament that Lim never cancelled the tax exemption awarded to Yayasan Albukhary.
Lim was finance minister from May 2018 to February last year.
Datuk Awang Hashim (Pendang-PN) then urged Rayer to retract his statement, to which Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor (Cameron Highlands-BN) told the lawmaker to file a written submission on the matter.
In a press conference later on, Wan Fayhsal said that he has written to the Dewan Rakyat speaker to refer Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman, to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges.
“He has confused the house (by) stating that absolute power regarding tax exemption issues is given to the Inland Revenue Board director-general.
“Under Section 44 (6B) of the Tax Act 1967, this is not true. He (Anwar) must apologise in Parliament for his lies,” he said.
In the lower House on Monday, Rayer had taken Wan Fayhsal to task over the police report, claiming that he had “belittled” Parliament proceedings, while also questioning why the latter had turned to police without apparent regard for house rules.
Last week, Lim, who is also DAP national chairman, alleged that Wan Fayhsal had committed a crime by lodging a false police report and was in contempt of parliamentary proceedings by attempting to turn the matter into a police investigation.
In his report, Wan Fayhsal alleged that Anwar misled the lower House by stating that the finance minister was not empowered under the law to grant tax exemptions.
He also contended that Lim had lied about not revoking the foundation’s tax exemption status. – The Vibes, March 29, 2023
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