KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reiterated that his delegation has not, in any way, used private company funds to cover the cost of flights for the recent official visit to four countries.
Instead, the expenses, amounting to RM1.6 million, were fully borne by the government.
He said the remaining seats on the chartered Malaysia Airlines flight were offered to private companies that had legitimate business purposes in the countries involved, like investment or joint ventures, and these companies paid their respective costs, totalling RM4.5 million.
“If we had used the government’s executive jet, the cost to the government would have been RM2.5 million for the visit to the four countries. However, with this (flight) sharing approach, the cost to the government was only RM1.6 million.
“I repeat, the government did not use private company funds. There is no conflict of interest. Do not get caught up in slander in this age of madness,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Anwar was responding to a Sinar Harian report quoting C4 Center chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah as saying that the Prime Minister's use of private company funds for overseas trips could lead to pressure from the companies involved in exchange for the favours.
Pushpan said that while financial considerations may be the primary factor in the decision, the government should also take into account the potential for conflicts of interest between the public and private sectors.
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil had previously said the government managed to save nearly RM1 million on flight costs for the Prime Minister’s recent official visits overseas.
He added that the government only incurred RM1.662 million in cost for the chartered flight using Malaysia Airlines' Airbus A350, compared to the RM2.5 million cost of using the government’s official aircraft.
— Bernama
