Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Azmi Khalid denied claims of attempts to “cover up” in not arranging for meetings to probe into financial scandals involving the BN administration.

He told reporters when approached on the matter today that he has informed the panel’s secretariat to arrange for a meeting to discuss the issues next week.

“When we called for a meeting during the last Parliament sitting, there was no quorum, even the opposition members were absent,” countered the BN Padang Besar MP.

This morning Pakatan Rakyat MPs on the panel had hit out at the PAC chief for not calling for meetings to continue its probe into scandals involving some RM9 billion in federal funds, including the alleged misappropriation of a RM250 million loan given to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) to run a feedlot centre.

Besides the NFC controversy, the Pakatan members said that PAC must convene to look into Malaysia Airlines former boss Tajudin Ramli’s confidential out-of-court settlement with Pengurusan Danaharta Bhd, the doubled costs of the new permanent low-cost carrier terminal in Sepang (KLIA2) and 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s dubious RM3.5 billion investment in Petrosaudi investment.

He added that as the panel's meetings are all recorded, there are only certain meeting rooms in Parliament that are equipped with the facility.

pac meeting on rmaf engine missing 200110 azmi khalid Asked if there were instructions to defer probe into the four issues , Azmi ( left ) denied the claim, adding that the panel will discuss next week whether to go ahead with their probe into a couple of issues that are being handled in court.

“We have done so many things (but) unfinished, (there are) many news things we need to look at, I have to meet (them) and then make a collective decision,” said Azmi.

He reminded that Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia had “ruled” against PAC continuing its inquiry into cases that are in court, including NFC and other suits linked to Tajudin.

“We have to discuss now what we going to do, what areas (we are going to look into), whether (that matter is also) in court or not, we don’t know... everything is disconnected,” he said when pressed further.

“But we will let the committee decide, (the meeting next week will deal with) housekeeping and decisions,” he said, adding that he has not seen the letter by Pakatan MPs stating their concern which was delivered this morning.

“PAC is non-partisan, when we make decisions, we decide based on what is right and wrong,” he reiterated when asked about the alleged partiality on investigating the cases.

PAC's inaction on major controversies under fire