KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition MPs have asked the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to explain why questions on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), based on the US Department of Justice (DoJ) suit, were rejected.
Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang said questions from seven opposition MPs on the matter had been rejected so far.
“How on earth can a court case in a foreign land be used as an excuse to shut out discussions and debate in Parliament?” he asked at the media centre in Parliament.
The DAP veteran said his question to Prime Minister Najib Razak on whether a royal commission of inquiry would be set up to probe 1MDB was rejected on the grounds that it violated Standing Order 23 (1) (g), which bars questions likely to prejudice a case under trial.
“I presume the speaker is referring to the US DoJ litigation to forfeit US$4.5 billion (about RM17.6 billion) 1MDB-linked assets in the US, UK and Switzerland,” Lim said.
He said his second question to Najib on US acting deputy assistant attorney-general, criminal division, M Kendall Day, was also rejected.
“But the US DoJ suit did not prevent Day from testifying before the US Senate Committee on banking, housing and urban affairs hearing in January this year,” he said.
Lim said the hearing was on combating money laundering and other forms of illicit finance.
He demanded to know why the Dewan Rakyat was using the DoJ’s case as an excuse to reject a question which could be used to rebut Day’s claims against 1MDB.
He said yesterday Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected an emergency motion by Gooi Hsiao Leung (PKR- Alor Setar) on the attorney-general’s refusal to act on behalf of the Malaysian government to lay claim on the billion ringgit luxury super yacht Equanimity.
Equanimity was seized by the Indonesian authorities in Bali last Wednesday.
During today’s press conference, Tony Pua (DAP-PJ Utara) said his questions were also rejected.
Pua said he had wanted to know if the finance ministry had redeemed 1MDB’s units from Singapore. “It is a question regarding a business transaction and even that was not answered.”
He had also sought answers on the transfer of money from an Arab donor into Najib’s personal bank accounts. Saudi Arabia had said that the US$681 million was a “genuine donation”. The attorney-general also confirmed that the cash was a gift from the royal family in Saudi Arabia.
Lim hopes Pandikar and Najib would clarify the reasons for the rejection. -FMT
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