A DAP lawmaker today urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to confirm if it would be calling in top MIC leaders for questioning over alleged misappropriation of government funds.

Jelutong MP R.S.N. Rayer told Dewan Rakyat that the anti-graft agency must explain if its investigations into the alleged misappropriation of Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) funds would include senior MIC leaders.

He said that he was raising the issue because MACC chief Azam Baki had issued a statement saying that several individuals would be charged in court over the misuse of Mitra funds.

“So, are the reports that MIC leaders have also received Mitra funds true or not? We also would like to know if any top leaders of MIC had been called up to give statements,” he said during the debate on the royal address in Dewan Rakyat today.

MACC had arrested 22 people in January in a large-scale operation over misappropriation of funds from Mitra.

Sources had previously said that millions of ringgit were handed out in Mitra grants to organisations with connections to senior leaders in MIC.

The sources said the organisations had applied for funds to run floristry courses, tuition classes for primary school pupils, basic qualification certificates for medical assistants and marriage courses, but none took off.

Businessman B. Reghu had been charged with 35 counts of making false claims amounting to RM625,625 from Mitra last year.

The director of Syarikat QCDMS Eraminda Consultants Sdn Bhd, faces 23 alternative charges of cheating by claiming RM100,625.

Mitra is a unit under the National Unity Ministry. It was established by the Najib Razak administration to fund programmes to raise the socioeconomic status of the Indian community.

Investigations have identified 337 companies, associations and civil society groups that were allocated grants worth about RM203 million from 2019-2021.

Sources also said of the total grants paid out, only 40% was spent on the purpose the applicants had stated while the rest was misappropriated by high-level executives who were cronies of political party leaders. – March 3, 2022.