Form RCI to probe claims in Pandora Papers, says PKR MP

JOHOR BARU: A PKR lawmaker has urged the Federal Government to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate allegations in the Pandora Papers.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has also urged Pakatan Harapan to terminate its Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government on bipartisan cooperation if its demands are not met by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration.

“Among the demands is allowing Parliament to debate a motion on the Pandora Papers, as proposed by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“The Pandora Papers have exposed billions of ringgit being kept secretly at British Virgin Islands and other offshore financial institutions allegedly by 1,500 Malaysians including political and corporate figures as well as their wives and children estimated to be worth RM1.8 trillion between 2004 and 2014,” he said in a statement here on Wednesday (Oct 6).

The government, said Hassan, must use the country’s existing legal powers to get back the money kept in the secret accounts.

“The accounts are against Malaysia laws and the money should be confiscated and returned to the government,” he added.

Earlier on Wednesday (Oct 6), Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun had rejected a motion proposed by Anwar to debate the Pandora Papers, saying that it was not urgent.

Although admitting that the expose, which revealed the offshore accounts involving former and current government and political leaders, was an important matter of public interest, Azhar said it could be discussed in other platforms such as the parliamentary select committee.