Police are pursuing investigations into allegations of management irregularities at loss-making Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

"I have not been given the report of the investigation. It is still ongoing because it has to be thorough," Bernama news agency quoted Abdullah as saying.

Abdullah said police would not provide information on the investigation in bits and pieces because this could be misleading.

"They have not indicated how long they would take but they are giving the case all the attention they can," he said.

Management irregularities

Last month senior general manager for corporate services Mohamadon Abdullah said a police report had been lodged accusing former chairman Tajudin Ramli and three former senior executives of management irregularities.

The police report filed by MAS followed an audit ordered by the new management after the government renationalised it in February.

Asked specifically if the government had blocked the cash belonging to Tajudin gained from the sale of MAS to the government, he said he was not aware of any such move.

"Why should it be blocked, I'm not aware of any attempt to block anything that he (Tajudin) should get," he said.

RM10 billion debt

MAS chairman Azizan Zainul Abidin was quoted as saying the irregularities focused particularly on several transactions involving the cargo division during Tajudin's tenure as chairman from 1994 to 2001.

MAS, struggling under some RM10 billion in debt, embarked on a restructuring plan last year to return to the black by 2004.

Last month, it announced it would be delisted from the stock exchange and that it would split its domestic and international operations as part of restructuring plans.