[UPDATED] Agencies, judiciary acting without interference in graft cases: Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim insisted that enforcement agencies and the judiciary acted independently on the graft investigations involving members of the opposition.

He said it was “irresponsible” for opposition leaders under probe to accuse the unity government of interfering with the investigations.

“We are no repeating the act of pressuring (the opposition) as was done before,” he told the press conference after today’s weekly cabinet meeting.

“We are not using these bodies (for that purpose).”

Anwar’s reiteration comes after Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin questioned the actual motivation behind the freezing of Bersatu’s accounts, querying if it is meant to cripple the coalition’s efforts ahead of the upcoming state elections. 

The Bersatu president said with the polls due to be held by the middle of this year, the party needs all its funds to ensure proper preparations can be done. 

He added that Bersatu will officially write to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today to request the cancellation of the freezing, saying that the anti-graft body’s action would impede the party’s management.

In response, Anwar said the investigations were based on a report filed with the Royal Malaysia Police and MACC on the use of government funds.

The costs of government projects such as Jana Wibawa – the multi-billion ringgit economic generation programme to empower competent Bumiputra contractors – and a directly negotiated flood mitigation plan mooted during the movement control order were too high, according to him.

“If the tender process was carried out, the costs would not have ballooned, and that would not have been an issue.”

Owing to this, Anwar said he had exposed the related information retrieved from the Finance Ministry, adding that MACC has found more than RM300 million in the party’s bank account.

“What’s being done by MACC is not subject to my views,” he said, adding that the agency was following due process.

“Surely these (accusations) need to be explained. So the (Bersatu) party leadership – if they are as clean as they claim to be – must explain to the investigators how it amassed so much funds in such a short span of time, and from whom.” – The Vibes, February 2, 2023