Newly-minted Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed has denied selling out in his choice to leave the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for his new government appointment.
"It's not fair to accuse me of such things.
“For me, I have moved from the legislature to the executive and the job at the ministry is more challenging than the PAC.
“I am moving on, so what’s the problem?” The Star today quoted him saying.
He added that the PAC had functioned for decades without him.
Nur Jazlan's departure as the PAC chief comes amidst the committee's ongoing investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds in Finance Ministry-owned investment fund 1MDB.
His move comes despite an initial pledge to see through the PAC's highly-watched probe even if he were to be appointed into the government.
Nur Jazlan said he has done his best as PAC chairperson and looked forward to a more challenging role in the government.
“I just did my job with the support of my committee members, which people thought was good.
“The PAC will continue its work under a new chairman,” he was quoted saying.
Appointments stall PAC probe
Nur Jazlan was among four out of eight BN MPs in the PAC appointed into Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's cabinet in Tuesday's controversial reshuffle.
The others are Wilfred Madius Tangau, Reezal Merican Naina Merican and Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.
The appointments have been criticised as an attempt by Najib to frustrate the PAC's investigation into the scandal-ridden 1MDB.
Nur Jazlan concurred that the PAC cannot proceed until after its new chairperson is appointed when Parliament reconvenes in October.
This would mean several former and current top executives in 1MDB will escape testifying before the committee next week.
A separate investigation by the special task force on 1MDB, which is also looking into claims that Najib's private bank accounts received RM2.6 billion, has also hit a brick wall after the serving attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail was sacked on the same day.
His replacement Mohamed Apandi Ali has now called the scandal a conspiracy to topple the government and has vowed to use the full force of the law against alleged perpetrators.
Najib has denied allegations against 1MDB, in particular a Wall Street Journal expose that alleged a sum of money from his pet project had been transferred to his personal accounts.
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