Who was the VVIP in jet in December, Rafizi asks Najib

Was Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor using the government jet, ACJ 319, in Indianapolis for six days to oversee the refurbishment of a new Airbus, asks an opposition lawmaker today. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, March 18, 2015.

Did the prime minister's wife stop in Indianapolis for six days to oversee the upgrading and refurbishment of a newly purchased government jet when Datuk Seri Najib Razak rushed home from Hawaii at the same time in December, PKR asked today.

Party secretary-general Rafizi Ramli said at the Parliament lobby Najib must confirm this, given that the company awarded the refurbishment contract, Comlux Aviation Group, was in Indianapolis.

He said it was an established fact that the new jet Airbus ACJ320 had been purchased during that time.

He said if anyone would come up with the “brilliant” suggestion that it was the existing jet ACJ 319 (9M-NAA), which took Najib and his family to Hawaii and scheduled for upgrading, it would not hold water because the jet had been upgraded just a year before.

Rafizi said the question now was also who was using the VVIP jet.

"The speculation going round is that Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor was the one using ACJ 319 and had gone to Indianapolis for six days to oversee the refurbishment of the new jet after the prime minister had returned to Malaysia.

"In order not to be subjected to further ridicule, the prime minister should come out and give us the passenger manifest and explain the stopover of six days in Indianapolis.

"I'm trying to help him here," he said.

According to the Pandan MP, Najib landed in Kota Baru on the evening of December 27 and about the same time, the jet which flew and his family to Hawaii landed in Indianapolis on December 26 at 6.52pm Malaysian time.

The jet remained in Indianapolis for six days before leaving for Los Angeles, New York, London, Dubai and Bangkok.

He added that the latest jet purchased by the government, ACJ320, was previously owned by Comlux Aviation and a website check would easily reveal that any upgrading and refurbishment of the jet was done at its base in Indianapolis.

He also said that the purchase agreement of the new jet was done on December 1, 2014 adding that the agreement included upgrading works on the ACJ320.

Rafizi said in October 2013, Comlux announced that it had just upgraded the private jet used by the head of Malaysia, after works started in June that year, in reference to ACJ319.

"So we know that it could not have been ACJ319 that was being upgraded, given that it was upgraded only a year prior to that, in case anyone came up with that brilliant idea.

"So there is strong indication that there is a high possibility that the passenger on ACJ319 went to Indianapolis to see to the upgrading works for the newly purchased government jet.

"And if the prime minister was already home, who was the VVIP who stopped over at the Comlux base?" he asked, saying that speculation was rife that the VVIP passenger was Rosmah.

Rafizi said without clear answers from Najib, these issues were bound to anger the people.

- TMI