KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today stresses that he did not interfere in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) decisions involving former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said MACC’s decision in calling the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman to have his statement recorded today was solely under the commission’s jurisdiction even after all the relevant agencies including the Attorney-General’s Chambers were ordered to look into all cases related to corruption.
“(The agencies were told to) look into the cases, the charges. So far, only Muhyiddin has been called, but to say that there is a political motive behind this and that other big cases will be off the hook is not right.
“That’s why I said we have to look whether there is a case or not. That’s MACC’s job and until now, I didn’t know where the case is going,” he told reporters after officiating the Kuala Lumpur Garden Festival 2023 at the Titiwangsa Lake Garden here today.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, also clarified that MACC’s decision to charge several individuals with corruption last month in connection with Jana Wibawa and flood mitigation projects were based on the Finance Ministry’s documents.
Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president, was reported to have presented himself to get his statement recorded at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya at 11.15 am today.
Last month, MACC had frozen Bersatu’s account and charged several individuals with corruption concerning Jana Wibawa projects to help Bumiputera contractors.
The Jana Wibawa programme was implemented during the time when Muhyiddin was the prime minister to speed up the implementation of projects and boost the country’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, on the letter from the Registrar of Society (RoS) on UMNO’s additional motion for the president and deputy president posts not to be contested at this year’s party polls, Anwar said the law gives the power to RoS to make decisions and notify the relevant minister.
When asked whether Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had overridden the decision made by RoS, Anwar said: “Even at the Prime Minister’s Department, I sometimes override certain decisions. For example, when officers were told to approve projects via direct negotiation, I overrode the decision because I think it is better for us to use the tendering process so as to be more transparent.”
Yesterday, Saifuddin said the decision to grant exemption to UMNO in accordance with Section 70 of the Societies Act 1966 (Act 832) regarding the party’s election is applicable.
He said KDN granted the exemption to UMNO from compliance with Section 13(1)(c)(iv) of Act 832, over the decision of an additional motion not to contest the positions of president and deputy president in the party’s election this year.
The exemption was given in accordance with Section 70 of the act which provides that the minister may use his discretion to exempt any registered organisation from all or any of the provisions in Act 832.
