Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali has finally admitted the RM2.6 million “golden handshake” his predecessor Abdul Khalid Ibrahim made out to his aides on his last day in office is an abuse of power.

The eight aides who were also Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) board members were compensated at night on Khalid's last day at office, an act that Azmin said was obviously fraudulent.

“Yes, it's too obvious, there exists an abuse of power - not only through the sum paid off, but also through the channels which the compensation was made - which was immediately.

“It is clearly questionable,” Malay daily Sinar Harian quoted him saying after a Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES) event yesterday.

As such, Azmin stressed that he will request the new MBI management that commences its duties on Dec 1 to launch an investigation into the audit report.

Azmin also said that if the investigations prove Khalid committed fraud and abuse of power, he will not hesitate to take action.

“We will not hide facts, nor will we compromise on the abuse of power.

“Everything has to be solved through due process. Give me time to settle this crisis,” he added.

Meanwhile, the four PAS state executive councillors (exco) who were in Khalid's administration in his last days as MB said they did not approve of the payout, nor did they endorse it.

Khalid had said that the four exco members were merely informed, and no approval was ever sought from them.

At Parliament yesterday, all the MPs called for the payout controversy to be discussed in the state assembly and also be investigated by the state's Select Committee for Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat).

The controversial payout first became public last week when Seri Andalas state assemblyperson Xavier Jayakumar in a tweet asked whether it was true that the Selangor government has instructed MBI to recover the quantum from Khalid's former aides.

After being initially tightlipped, Azmin finally broke his silence on Monday saying an audit report has been prepared and the exco has discussed it, and that MBI is following up on action.

Khalid officially vacated his office on Sept 22 - after being expelled from PKR months earlier resulting in a protracted administrative crisis - and Azmin was sworn in the following day.

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