PUTRAJAYA: ‘‘Let the prime minister make all (relevant) announcements.’’
Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed said this when asked on what had transpired during his meeting with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
"I have expressed my views on things that Tun (Dr Mahathir) wanted to know," he said, declining to elaborate further.
On his possible comeback as the MACC chief commissioner, Abu Kassim kept mum, saying he would rather have the prime minister make all the necessary announcements.
It was reported that Abu Kassim had known about his impending reappointment as chief commissioner and had sent one of his aides to meet a high-level MACC officer recently.
Though the details of Abu Kassim’s meeting with Dr Mahathir were unknown as yet, it was understood that it would be about his reappointment.
There is also the possibility that Dr Mahathir may speak to Abu Kassim about investigating the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) issue.
NSTP had reported that Abu Kassim was one of the names being bandied about to take over as MACC chief commissioner under the new Pakatan Harapan administration.
It was understood that Abu Kassim’s return was being considered as he remains an MACC officer and was the person in charge of investigations into the 1MDB and SRC International issue in 2016.
He spent 34 years in MACC and its previous identities and though he was widely regarded as having retired, he had been placed in a small unit in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), although his salary remains that of a high-level officer.
Abu Kassim spent more than one hour with Dr Mahathir at the Perdana Leadership Foundation today.
The ex-MACC chief commissioner arrived for his meeting with the prime minister at about 8.30am.
Dr Mahathir was seen leaving the foundation at 10am for a Pakatan Harapan presidential meeting scheduled in Petaling Jaya. -- Reporting by Azura Abas, Irwan Shafrizan Ismail and Suhaila Shahrul Annuar