PARLIAMENT The jet used by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak cost RM40.8 million in rental, operations and flights for six months, claimed Pandan lawmaker Rafizi Ramli.

The PKR vice-president said the ACJ320 government jet had flown 42 times between April and Sept 2015.

He estimated that in this period, the government paid RM13.3 million for rental, RM23 million for operations, maintenance and management, and RM4.5 million for flights.

"If these figures are not correct, I welcome the government to give the actual figures.

“If not we will assume that these figures are correct," he told a press conference at the parliament lobby today.

Rafizi ( photo ) provided the RM40.8 million figure after the government refused to disclose how much was spent on the jet during those six months.

In a written parliamentary reply, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said only disclosed that the jet had flown 42 times, ferrying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, PM, and his deputy on official functions.

Rafizi had previously highlighted and questioned the government’s purchase of the jet through another company Jet Premier One Sdn Bhd in a series of press conferences in March.

Among others, he claimed that the purchase of the Airbus ACJ320 jet would cost taxpayers RM465.4 million over 15 years, overpaying by at least RM109 million.

The Pandan MP also claimed that the new aircraft’s operations, maintenance and management would cost another RM46 million a year, and that the government had spent an additional RM28 million to renovate its already posh interior.