SHAH ALAM, 26 May: The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, has been urged to provide explanation regarding the disclosure made by the Chairman of Bank Rakyat, Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik, who claimed that his service was not continued following a RM40 million loan made by an individual who is close to Najib’s administration recently.
The DAP Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng, said that Najib should explain to the public this expose by Sabbaruddin because the VIP concerned is closely related to BN leader and has power in Putrajaya.
In addition to that, he said that Najib should also explain the basis of Bank Rakyat giving out this loan.
“Was it purely political or were proper procedures and due diligence complied with when Bank Rakyat issued the RM40 million loan to the VIP?” he asked in a statement today.
Lim questioned how such a large loan could be given to a VIP without any financial standing or repayment ability.
He said Najib should also explain what happened to the compromise offer by the VIP after Sabbaruddin’s tenure as chairman was not extended.
“Was the Putrajaya-linked VIP allowed to repay the loan in 120 equal instalments over 10 years, interest-free?” he asked.
Lim also said that Najib should also come clean and account for any other similar sweetheart deals of giving mega loans to VIPs of dubious financial standing.
The Bagan MP and Penang chief minister said Najib’s failure to address these questions will only prove that Barisan Nasional leaders are running the country to enrich their cronies.
Previously, the media revealed that that a VIP had used political connections to settle a loan amounting to RM32 million without any interest calculated due to the intervention of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek.
