Prime minister's special officer Rizal Mansor challenged Selangor Menteri Besar Mohd Azmin Ali to explain the alleged improprieties in paying a non-performing contractor.

Rizal said Azmin's predecessor had already stopped payments to the contractor when the project was awarded was found to be unsatisfactory.

The company had sued unsuccessfully to reclaim the money, he said, only to have payments resume under Azmin's administration via the state-owned Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI).

"I'm not saying that the previous menteri besar was right, but he stopped paying the arrears to the company.

"But in came a new menteri besar, and he was 'very good'. Even though the company was not performing; even though the company is failing, he paid them in full," he said.

Rizal said this while officiating the Kelana Jaya Umno youth meeting today.

Malaysiakini has contacted Azmin's office for comment and is waiting for a response, and is withholding the contractor's name pending comment.

Meanwhile, Rizal urged the audience not to be afraid of confronting Pakatan Harapan, saying that there is nothing good about Azmin and Umno should expose him for his supposed improprieties.

"I can't stand watching this Selangor menteri besar. Proud. Arrogant. He said (Selangor BN chief) Noh Omar is not his match, that his match is (Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak) in Pekan.

"I'd say to him: Come to Pekan," said Rizal.

He claimed that Azmin had only dared to moot contesting in Pekan because he knew he would risk losing his Gombak parliamentary seat if he tries to defend it.

Previously, Azmin had dismissed Noh as a "grass lizard" and claimed that Najib is his match.

However, he also stressed that he would not leave Gombak for Pekan unless there is a strategic reason to do so.