More than RM14 million have been spent on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s official overseas trips in the past year, revealed Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Md Farid Md Rafik.

“The detailed cost for all the official overseas trips made by the prime minister in the past one year is RM14,327,865.05 (covering 22 visits).

“This amount includes government officials who joined the prime minister’s trip overseas as approved by the cabinet,” Md Farid said in a written parliamentary reply.

He was responding to a question from Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, who had asked for a detailed breakdown of the costs for Mahathir’s overseas trips in the past year.

It was previously reported in April this year that the government had spent over RM12.7 million on official overseas visits by cabinet members between May and December 2018.

This expenditure covered 31 trips, as revealed in another written parliamentary reply.

In 2016, the Prime Minister’s Department had refused to disclose the amount spent on then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s overseas work trips in 2015.

Then minister in the prime minister’s department Azalina Othman Said had merely said that Najib’s official visits in 2015 and 2016 have taken into account “prudent spending”.

Between March 2008 and May 2013, RM44.07 million was expended for Najib's overseas trips, according to a parliamentary written reply. However, the number of trips was not disclosed.