KUALA LUMPUR: Works Minister Baru Bian said Tuesday he would welcome any investigation into alleged abuse of position by his political secretary in the run-up to the PKR elections.
This follows news that PKR Youth secretaty Ahmad Syukri Che Ab Razab had lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding the matter.
"If such report is true and had been lodged to the MACC as reported, I wish to state that I welcome any investigation to be made by the relevant authority and to be made thoroughly and immediately as it has implicated my ministry.
"For me, such action if true cannot be tolerated at all, especially so when we have fought so hard against such corrupt practices. The process of law must take its course," he said in a statement.
Baru said he had just returned from an official trip overseas when he was "confronted" by the report on the matter.
He said his political secretary was known to be contesting for the position of the head of the Bera PKR branch and a seat on the party's central committee.
Earlier, Syukri had alleged that he received a pen drive with evidence that the political secretary had abused his position to offer contracts worth RM20,000 and allocations amounting to at least RM300,000 in order to gain support during a meeting with local leaders in Pahang on Sept 1.
PKR president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also commented on the issue, saying he had seen the alleged evidence and it was "quite disturbing".
Anwar said he would meet with Baru to disciss the matter.