Pua: Reply on SRC RM27m 'contempt of Parliament'

The Finance Ministry's refusal to explain the RM27 million from SRC International that went into his bank accounts is contempt of Parliament, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said.

The ministry in a written parliamentary reply to Pua today said the state-owned firm has no information on the RM27 million, and that it was just media speculation.

However, Pua said, the media reports on this were based on a money trail chart which "fumbling" attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali showed at a press conference to clear Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak of wrongdoing in January.

"And yet PM can now refuse to explain the RM27 million or even deny its existence.

"What a shame! And what utter contempt for Parliament," Pua said in a Facebook posting.

Pua had asked why the RM27 million was deposited into Najib's bank accounts.

"SRC had no information on the money that was channelled into the finance minister's accounts.

"And, this was based on a report by a news portal, the source of which could not be ascertained," the reply reads.

Pua also asked the finance minister why SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary, had paid RM170 million to Putra Perdana Construction.

The ministry said the sum was transferred for the purpose of funding turnkey projects, which were later cancelled.

Putra Perdana Construction is a subsidiary of Putrajaya Perdana.

Putrajaya Perdana was earlier acquired by Utama Banking Group (UBG) Bhd – a firm in which business tycoon Jho Low took over in 2010 allegedly with 1MBD cash, but this was denied by the state-owned investment fund.

Putrajaya Perdana did not respond to Malaysiakini's questions on the transfers traced in the money trail chart Apandi showed reporters.

The chart showed that SRC International received RM140 million from the RM170 million it initially transferred to Putra Perdana Construction, through a complicated network of transactions involving two other subsidiaries.

The remaining RM30 million went to a bank account marked AmPrivate 1MY (800).

However, the bank account only kept RM27 million, while Permai Binaraya kept RM2.99 million.

Putra Perdana Construction, which received the initial RM170 million in three transactions from SRC International, also transferred an additional RM5 million to another AmBank account – AmPrivate MY (906). -Mkini