Shukry to be appointed new Bank Rakyat chairman?

KUALA LUMPUR: From the grapevines today, we heard that Tan Sri Shukry Mohd Salleh will soon be appointed as new chairman of Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bhd (Bank Rakyat).

The bank’s previous chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal, who was appointed to the post on July 16 last year, has been charged at the Sessions Court with criminal breach of trust together with managing director Datuk Mustafha Abd Razak.

Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad has been appointed as Bank Rakyat’s temporary chairman.

Shukry is currently the principal private secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Among the posts he held previously were director-general of the Implementation Co-ordination Unit of Prime Minister’s Department and assistant secretary to the Defence Ministry. These are highprofile posts and his career has been stellar and stain-free to-date.

Shukry is expected to be tasked with restoring the integrity among Bank Rakyat officials following the case, apart from steadying its leadership.

The case at Bank Rakyat is not isolated as there are several others reported recently to have involved officials at government-linked companies (GLCs) such as at Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd.

Bank Rakyat posted a 8.08 per cent fall in last year’s net profit to RM1.82 billion from RM1.98 billion the previous year, despite higher revenue of RM6.43 billion in 2015 compared with RM6.06 billion in 2014.

It expects a five to seven per cent loans growth for this year from personal, hire-purchase and housing loans.