Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today began its probe into the theft of two RMAF F5 J85-21 jet engines but the proceedings came to a halt two hours later.

The meeting which began at 10am was scheduled to end at 2pm, but at about noon, a rancid smell emanating from an air conditioning unit brought an end to the proceedings.

azmi khalid PAC chairperson Azmi Khalid ( left ) postponed the meetng to next Tuesday (Jan 26).

Officers from the Ministry of Defense, including its secretary-general Abu Bakar Abdullah and RMAF chief General Rodzali Daud were scheduled to give a briefing.

The PAC committee was to have heard how jet engines could be stolen from an air force base and shipped out from Malaysia.

"It was just a briefing of RMAF procedures of purchases, repairs, maintenance, etc... how they do things, and then go into how the theft could have happened," said Azmi.

Asked if former defense minister cum current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will be called, Azmi broke into a smile and replied: "Don't jump the gun."

'Report will be ready'

The PAC chief said that he was confident his committee would have a complete report before parliament resumes its session in March.

The two jets engines went missing in 2007 while enroute for a routine maintenance check from the 12th Squadron in Butterworth to the RMAF godown in Kuala Lumpur.

They were discovered stolen by RMAF on May 22, 2008 and a police report was lodged on Aug 4 the same year.

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail revealed that the stolen items have been traced to Argentina and were subsequently transported to Uruguay.

On Jan 6, RMAF sergeant N Tharmendran, 42, and company director Rajandran Prasad Kusy, 38, were charged in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court in connection with the theft of the jet engines.