KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said today the investigation into claims that some of the Covid-19 stimulus funds had been misappropriated by the former Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration will focus on the RM92.5 billion in direct fiscal injection.
The quantum accounts for all the funds disbursed by the government under several Covid-19 stimulus that totalled RM530 billion.
The remaining sum of RM437.5 billion came in the form of programmes that were not funded by taxpayers money, the commission said in a statement.
“The MACC had received from the Ministry of Finance the detailed breakdown of the economic stimulus packages that had been spent to manage Covid-19 between 2020 to 2021,” the statement said.
“The findings of our investigation showed that the total allocation was RM530 billion. From that sum, RM92.5 billion were government funds while the RM437.5 billion were not. As such the focus of our investigation will be on the RM92.5 billion,” the commission added.
The MoF is expected to provide accounting details on the RM92.5 billion by next week, the MACC said.
Calls for an investigation into claims that Covid-19 stimulus funds had been misappropriated were made mostly based on suspicion around Perikatan Nasional's election campaign, which critics said was grand and well-funded.
Until today, no proof has been produced to support the claim.
The initial allegation somehow mutated into claims that the coalition had swindled all RM600 billion of Covid-19 stimulus funds, with media reports seemingly adding to the confusion.
PN leaders have since dismissed the accusation as absurd.
