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Probe on PN govt’s spending must be transparent, govt told

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C4 suggests the Public Accounts Committee take the lead as it is a bipartisan institution answerable to Parliament.

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Free Malaysia Today
Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has denied any wrongdoing in his government’s expenditure of RM530 billion during the pandemic. (Muhyiddin Yassin Facebook pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:
Any investigation into the alleged misappropriation of billions of ringgit by the Perikatan Nasional-led government must be conducted transparently, says the Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4).

The anti-graft group said Putrajaya must provide details of the agency leading the investigation, and suggested that the Public Accounts Committee take the lead since it was a bipartisan institution accountable to Parliament.

“Progress reports must be made publicly available and accessible, and a tentative timeline given that outlines when the investigation is expected to be completed and findings can be presented to the public, which must also be tabled in Parliament,” it said in a statement.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had said that there were serious violations of standard procedure in Putrajaya’s expenditure when Muhyiddin Yassin was in the top post.

Several reports have also been lodged over the PN-led administration’s apparent RM600 billion expenditure during Muhyiddin’s tenure.

However, the PN chairman has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, saying he was ready to be investigated and charged in court.

Muhyiddin also said his government had spent RM530 billion, not RM600 billion as claimed by some, through eight stimulus packages amid the pandemic and lockdowns.

C4 repeated its call for reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in governance, such as the enactment of a Procurement Act and Political Financing Act.

“If left unchecked, the ever-tightening business-political nexus will result in state capture, whereby the interests of businesses completely overtake those of society and its people at large,” it said.

It also called for the establishment of a corruption court, comprising judges specifically trained in areas of the law related to corruption.

“This will accelerate the conclusion of cases which, at present, are needlessly delayed and take years to resolve,” it said.

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