THE new Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bhd (Bank Rakyat) chairman has been identified, and an announcement will be made soon, said Entrepreneur Development Minister Mohd Redzuan Yusof yesterday.

He said the candidate is not a politician, and has long been involved in the international banking sector.

The ministry is awaiting an assessment of the candidate by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), he said.

“There is already a candidate. Although the power of appointment lies with the ministry, we are taking a professional approach. We need to follow BNM’s procedures. We do not want to jump the gun,” he told a press conference in the Parliament building.

He said Shukry Mohd Salleh’s removal as Bank Rakyat chairman on Monday should not affect the ministry’s image and agenda.

Shukry, an ex-aide to former prime minister Najib Razak, was dismissed as the bank’s chairman after it was revealed by Auditor-General Madinah Mohamad over the weekend that he was involved in the tampering of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd audit report. – Bernama, November 30, 2018.