DEFENCE Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said his deputy Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz did not need to get a letter of support to have his son appointed to the Pharmaniaga Bhd board of directors.

Ismail Sabri said his deputy could have just appointed son Ikmal Hazlan to the board but he chose not to abuse his position.

“If he had abused his power, he would have got his son on the Pharmaniaga board instead of coming to me.

“A lot of people claimed that he misused his power but if he had done so, he would have gotten his son into the Pharmaniaga’s board already,” said Ismail Sabri during his Slim by-election campaign trail today.

A letter addressed to Ismail Sabri dated June 5 contained a handwritten note by him where he minuted to the chairman of the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) his nod of Ikmal Hazlan.

“As usual, if someone comes to asking for support, I will give them my support without hesitation,” said Ismail Sabri.

He said although he gave his support, it doesn’t mean the person is given the seat, adding that Ikmal Hazlan is not on Pharmaniaga’s board.

“Even if he gets appointed it doesn’t mean there has been any favours. It was done solely because of his achievement as a successful businessman and holding a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering,” said Ismail Sabri.

Pharmaniaga’s majority shareholder is Boustead Holdings Berhad. The LTAT, in turn, holds a majority stake in Boustead and a smaller stake in Pharmaniaga.

Meanwhile, Pharmaniaga announced in a filing with Bursa Malaysia on August 3 that Azhar Ahmad, Najmil Faiz Mohamed Aris and Zulkifli Jafar have been appointed to the role of independent and non-executive directors, replacing retired members. – August 22, 2020.