Anwar willing to cooperate with task force on Bank Negara forex losses

UALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) says he is willing to cooperate with the special task force probing foreign exchange losses suffered by Bank Negara in the 1990s.

However, the jailed opposition leader said that the task force should not be used for political reasons.

"I have no objection. I will co-operate (with the task force). The focus should be to find out the truth," he told reporters after the hearing of his RM100mil defamation suit against Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin here on Friday.

The Cabinet has appointed former chief secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan to head the special task force.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Wednesday the task force's terms of reference would be to conduct preliminary investigations into the forex losses, allegedly amounting to billions of ringgit.

The team would also study if there had been any cover-up or deliberate act of giving misleading statements about the foreign currency transactions at Parliament meetings.

"The establishment of the terms of reference is important as the first step in getting the relevant facts, including analysing the official parliamentary meeting reports, minutes of Cabinet meetings, Auditor-General’s report and others," the PMO said.

The team, led by Mohd Sidek as the chairman, will then submit its recommendations to the Government on further action required, such as the need to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the matter.

Mohd Sidek previously served in the civil service for 38 years, including six years as chief secretary to the Government.