Finance minister says govt checking MCA-linked Kojadi’s other funding sources

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Putrajaya will be looking into whether Koperasi Jayadiri Malaysia Berhad (Kojadi) received other funds from the Treasury under the Najib administration after the MCA public-listed co-operative was linked to money said to be stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng today lauded Kojadi chairman Datuk Ng Peng Hay as having the courage to do the right thing in trying to return RM15 million it received from a 1MDB foundation, which resulted in his suspension from the company’s board on July 9.

“Don’t sack those who are trying to return 1MDB money to the government, but instead, support those who do not want to return the money to the government. I think that is immoral and unethical.

“The Finance Ministry will look into this matter and the monies or funding given by the previous finance ministry to Kojadi in the past,” Lim said in the Dewan Rakyat.

The minister was replying a supplementary question from Ipoh Timur MP (PH) Wong Kah Woh who wanted to know what the government planned to do about the alleged 1MDB funds now that Ng has been suspended from Kojadi.

Lim added that claims Kojadi had nothing to do with 1MDB were false, as it had received the money from 1MDB Foundation through a letter of agreement.

Currently, the government is doing its best to recover 1MDB funds that had been disbursed to former and current BN political parties including Umno, MCA, MIC and SUPP.

Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, who is also MCA president, had objected against Kojadi being discussed in the lower House.

He claimed it was subjudice since the court proceedings on the matter is still ongoing.

Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof rejected Wee's claims, saying that the question did not go into the specifics of the trial.