Mat Sabu: Go ahead, probe my aide

Defence Minister wants charges laid if there’s wrongdoing as alleged by Rafizi

KUALA LUMPUR: Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu says the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) is welcome to probe his aide over alleged payments to settle his bankruptcy status, documents of which PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli claims he has in his possession.

“Just like my statement in Parliament on a previous probe by former auditor-general Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, I welcome MACC to investigate anyone in the Defence Ministry, or even in my office,” Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said briefly in a statement yesterday.

He said he was ready to cooperate with MACC as he had vowed never to compromise on integrity.

“Should there be any cases identified, MACC can charge the person involved according to the law,” Mat Sabu added.

The aide has been advised to go on leave pending investigations into alleged third-party assistance in settling debts amounting to more than RM800,000.

MACC has, so far, recorded statements from 10 individuals, including the aide, several contractors and business representatives.

Rafizi, meanwhile, claimed several documents allegedly showed that the aide’s bankruptcy status was “settled” through a crowdfunding initiative.

According to Rafizi, the said documents showed four suspicious payments – RM318,525, RM100,000, RM300,000 and RM100,800 – made on May 30 and 31.

“The excuse given to me is that these funds were raised from a crowdfunding initiative. I find it hard to accept this excuse ... because I know another Parti Amanah Negara leader who has not been successful in collecting sufficient funds to pay off his fine, even though he is more famous than Mohamad Sabu’s aide,” he said in a statement posted on Facebook yesterday.

The PKR leader said the case should be made a lesson so that the government would put stringent asset declaration laws in place.