Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his son Mukhriz was forced to beg the 'powerful' Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin to have the Opcom-TM project reinstated.

But in the end, the project's value was slashed by up to 15 percent, he added.

According to Mahathir, the RM200 million project was scrapped after he stepped down as prime minister in 2003.

This forced his son to turn to Khairy ( left ) - the son-in-law of Mahathir's successor, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Although Abdullah has denied this, critics claim that Khairy influences the premier's decisions. Some have gone to the extent of describing the 31-year-old Oxford graduate as the country's de facto prime minister.

Meanwhile, Mahathir defended the RM200 million contract Mukhriz had obtained from Telekom Malaysia (TM).

Mukriz is the chairperson and managing director of the fibre optic company Opcom Sdn Bhd.

Proper channel

The former premier, who was speaking to reporters in Terengganu yesterday, reportedly said his son went through the proper channel to obtain the deal.

On Thursday, malaysiakini reported that documents pertaining to the business dealings involving Mahathir's children are being circulated on the internet .

According to sources, this is being done to counter Mahathir's criticisms of Scomi Bhd's involvement in government projects.

Mahathir has alleged that Scomi - which is controlled by Abdullah's son, Kamaluddin - received numerous government contracts since Abdullah took office in 2003.

One of the documents being circulated in a 'pro-Umno' blog is the agreement letter to appoint Opcom as the supplier of fibre optics worth RM214.2 million to TM.

According to the letter, dated Oct 7, 2003 and bearing the Finance Ministry letterhead, the contract was obtained through direct negotiations and not via a tender process.