Khalid: Yahya suspended over collection - The Star

SHAH ALAM: Jun 26, 2008 By DHARMENDER SINGH

Senior aide Mohd Yahya Mat Sahri was suspended after he failed to inform Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim of money collected for the state government’s 100-days-in-office celebrations.

Khalid said he had given a directive that his officers inform him of all decisions they made after the Anti-Corruption Agency investigated allegations that Yahya improperly facilitated the approval of cleaning and garbage collection contracts in Petaling Jaya.

(The ACA cleared Yahya of any bribery but said his action was of “improper conduct.”)

He said Yahya failed to inform him of the records of the money collected from businesses for the celebrations.

“The funds collected were deposited into PKR’s accounts without my knowledge and I am not sure of the actual amount,” he told a press conference after chairing the weekly exco meeting.

The matter came about after former PKR stalwart Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor claimed that the Mentri Besar’s office collected funds for the celebrations and deposited the cash into the PKR account instead of the state coffers.

On Monday, Khalid announced that Yahya would be suspended for two months to allow an internal probe.

However, Yahya resigned, saying he had lost confidence in Khalid.

On Yahya’s claim that he was not given the chance to explain, Khalid said the suspension was to allow a domestic inquiry to be carried out and Yahya would have been given a chance to defend himself.

“But he resigned and I have accepted it so the domestic inquiry will stop but the probe into the records of the funds will continue,” he said.

On Sabak Bernam PKR division head Dr Badrul Amin’s statement that 17 of the 22 PKR division heads had submitted a letter to PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim voicing their dissatisfaction that “party warriors” were being sidelined in the appointment of councillors, Khalid said it was impossible to please everyone with the limited number of places.