PARLIAMENT The name of controversial carpet businessman Deepak Jaikishan cropped up in the debate to amendments of the Cooperatives Commission Act in Parliament today.

This happened when Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar probed the commission’s role in advising Domestic Trade, Consumer and Cooperatives Minister Hasan Malek.

 

Mahfuz asked Hasan to clarify if the commission had given him advice on Deepak's debt to Bank Rakyat totalling RM32 million.

 

“Is it the role of the commission to advise the minister until he could issue directives to the managing director of Bank Rakyat?,” Mahfuz asked.

 

He further asked Hasan to explain whether that action was in line with his responsibilities as minister, as underlined in the Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia (Special Allocation) Act 1978.

 

Mahfuz ( right ) said he could not understand why Hasan directed the restructuring of the Deepak's debts to Bank Rakyat's managing director Mustafha Abdul Razak.

 

He wanted to know if the move was in accordance with the role of the minister which is to “issue directives to the bank's board of directors to ensure the interests of its members or the bank's depositors.”.

 

“I do not see how the directive given to Mustafha is in line to protect Bank Rakyat and its depositors who are mostly bumiputeras. Why should Deepak be given special privileges compared to other depositors?,” he asked.

 

Previously Deepak's loan issue cropped up after Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli highlighted the matter, following the emergence of a letter by Hasan, asking the bank to postpone taking legal action on the carpet businessman.

 

However, Hasan had replied that Deepak's loan had been handled lawfully .

 

[More to follow]