The PKR election committee will determine whether former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, who has two convictions, is eligible to contest in the party elections.

PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said this in response to a question from reporters at the Parliament lobby.

She was asked about a front-page report in The Sun Daily today that party regulations do not allow a person who has been convicted to contest in party elections.

The newspaper, quoting a source, had reported that PKR faced the possibility of being deregistered if it allowed Rafizi to contest. Rafizi is contesting the post of deputy president against incumbent Mohamed Azmin Ali, the economic affairs minister.

In 2016, Rafizi was sentenced to 18 months' jail by the Sessions Court for unauthorised possession of the 1MDB audit report and exposing it to the media, and earlier this year, to 30 months' jail for exposing bank accounts related to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) and its chairperson Mohamad Salleh Ismail.

The newspaper had quoted the source as saying that Rafizi claimed to have been given special permission by the Registrar of Societies to contest in the polls.

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Mohd Azis Jamman, when approached by Bernama, said he was awaiting feedback from RoS on Rafizi’s position before making any comment.

Some 800,000 PKR members will vote in the party elections scheduled from Sept 14 to Oct 13.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim won the post of president uncontested when the nominations closed on Aug 5.

- Bernama