Nepotism charges fly as Petron appointed govt fuel provider

A file photo of Mirzan from 2011.

PETALING JAYA: With the Ministry of Finance (MoF) having appointed Petron as one of the fuel providers for government vehicles, accusations of cronyism and nepotism are being levelled at the government.

A letter of the appointment addressed to Petron has gone viral on social media with the point of contention being that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s son Mirzan is a director in Petron Corporation, which owns Petron Malaysia.

News portal Malaysiakini reported that it had verified with government sources that the letter had been distributed to government ministries.

The letter stated that Petron Fuel International Bhd (Petron) had been appointed a fuel provider for government vehicles through indent cards.

It added that it hoped the appointment of Petron would provide "a better choice and alternative" to existing fuel providers.

Mirzan has been a director of the Filipino-based company since 2010.

Reportedly, he was elected a director on Aug 13, 2010 and holds 1,000 shares. 

The Ministry of Finance has been contacted for comments. 

More to come