No decision yet on Najib breaking embargo, says committee rep

The parliamentary rights and privileges committee has begun its probe into former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak for allegedly breaking the embargo on the Felda White Paper a day before the report was tabled in Dewan Rakyat.

Najib had denied any wrongdoing before the parliamentary rights and privileges committee last month, said committee member V Sivakumar.

"He denied (the allegation)," the DAP Batu Gajah MP told Malaysiakini without further divulging what Najib had said.

The first meeting held last month also called two information technology witnesses from the government, he said.

"We will make a decision. There is no decision yet," he said.

"There is no recommendation (of punishment) yet because we have not completed the investigation."

The next meeting is expected to be held before the upcoming Dewan Rakyat sitting that commences on July 1, he said.

He said more witnesses will be called, although he declined to reveal their identities.

On April 11, Najib was referred to the rights and privileges committee for allegedly breaking the embargo on the Felda White Paper.

The Felda White Paper was distributed to lawmakers on April 9 with an embargo note placed on the report. The embargo was only lifted the next day when the lawmakers debated the report in the House.

However, upon receiving the report, Najib uploadeda snapshot of the White Paper, and revealed that a 'put option' was included in Felda's purchase of a 37 percent stake in Indonesia's Eagle High Plantation in 2015.

According to an Order Paper published on the Parliament website, Najib stood to face a three-month suspension for breaking the embargo.

However, in the printed copy of the Order Paper, there was no mention of a three-month suspension.

As such, after a House debate in which the inconsistency in the Order Paper was discussed, a motion was passed against the Pekan MP and the decision was made to refer him to the parliamentary rights and privileges committee.  - Mkini