Minister cannot hide behind officials - Tun M
Dr Mahathir said although the answers were prepared by ministry officials, it is the minister who should shoulder the responsibility when mistakes happen.
Ministers, including the Prime Minister are responsible for the answers they provide at the Dewan Rakyat, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said in his blog posting today.
Dr Mahathir said although the answers were prepared by ministry officials, it is the minister who should shoulder the responsibility when mistakes happen.
Commenting on the Finance Ministry’s written reply on 1MDB, Dr Mahathir said ministers should check and confirm if the answers provided were accurate.
In a written reply to PJ Utara MP Tony Pua on Wednesday, Najib had said the balance of 1MDB investment managed by the Cayman Monetary Authority amounting to US$1.103bil had been redeemed in the form of assets instead of cash.
But on March 10, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, had confirmed in a written reply to Pua that the funds were held in a Singapore bank in the form of cash.
Subsequently, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah clarified that Putrajaya had made a mistake in saying that the 1MDB redeemed its investments in the Cayman Islands in cash, when it was in ‘units’.
“Although parliamentary proceedings are immune from the law, the answer given is not based on the truth, it is still not right and is no longer immune once the answer is published for public knowledge and not refuted,” he wrote in his blog.
He said the officers who provided the written replies in Parliament are not immune and can be held responsible for the answers provided.
He said officers who were found to have provided inaccurate answers in the written replies can be accused of trying to protect the minister by hiding the truth.
“In other words, the minister can still be accused of lying and so do the officers,” he said.
“As far as I know, banks were instructed to question dealings of more than RM50,000. If the deals had nothing to do with money laundering, then it should not be a problem,” he said commenting on the Cayman Islands funds.
He also questioned if 1MDB with the knowledge of its advisor were involved in money laundering activities which was why the Cayman Islands funds were kept in Singapore.
He said Singapore is also closely monitoring cash flow into and outside the republic to detect money laundering activities.
“Doesn’t the 1MDB know the rules of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS),” he questioned.
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