A PKR leader has pointed out that Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah referred to grant recipients from a different time period when denying that RM100 million was allocated to a firm purportedly favoured by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Rafizi Ramli also questioned if this was an oversight on the part of the science, technology and innovation deputy minister or a deliberate attempt to put a lid on the matter.

In a statement today, the PKR director of strategy said Abu Bakar (left) disclosed to the media yesterday a list of grant recipients under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for the duration of 2006 to 2010.

However, Rafizi said the issue that he raised involved an approval for a grant on Jan 21 this year.

"Of course, the RM100 million grant for NSE Resources Corporation Sdn Bhd this year will not be included in the list of recipients for the period between 2006 and 2010.

"I am not sure if the deputy minister missed this or if he was in a haste to close the matter by providing a different list of recipients to confuse the public," he added.

Rafizi also said Abu Bakar's denial contradicted the information on the Pahang-based firm's website , which states that it had received two grants from the ministry before this.

Malaysiakini has repeatedly tried to get a response from the firm over this issue.

Rafizi challenged that if the government really wants to prove that the evidence he had submitted over the matter is fake, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Ewon Ebin must both make statutory declarations.

 

"Najib must make a statutory declaration that he had never put in minutes, a letter regarding the grants, and has never seen it. The minister must make a declaration that the Jan 21 letter is false and he never signed it," he said.

 

"Their refusal to do so will prove that all the documents and letters I have produced so far are true and valid," he added.