THE trip to Turkey by police top brass was approved before Pakatan Harapan won federal power, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“It happened (approval was given) before we took over Putrajaya. Although the intention was good, the nature of the sponsorship has courted criticism,” the prime minister and Bersatu chairman said after a party meeting at Yayasan Al Bukhary in Kuala Lumpur today.

Earlier, former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan said it was not appropriate for officers to have accepted the sponsorship despite the working nature of the trip, which was to learn about how Turkey fights online gambling.

“In the future, police should not accept such a sponsorship, if, by law, the sponsorship is wrong because it is by a betting company that has its own interests.”

Previously, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he gave the green light for the trip as it was useful.

“(It is) not about (giving a trip to) someone who will retire soon. We don’t do that.

“I approved it because it was a useful trip. But I do not know how many people went or what tickets they bought.”

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng waded into the controversy, saying the funds for the trip were from number-forecasting company Da Ma Cai and approved by the Malaysian Totalisator Board.

The board, formed under the Racing (Totalisator Board) Act 1961, is responsible for controlling and coordinating betting on horse racing. It is an agency under the Finance Ministry.

The trip to Istanbul by Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun and 17 high-ranking police officers was first highlighted by Sarawak Report.

Some of the officers were accompanied by their wives, and photos of them were published by the whistle-blower website.

It said the group stayed at a four-star hotel and flew business class, making expenses for the trip about RM300,000. – February 15, 2019.