Former PKR rep Osman accused of power abuse

IPOH, March 27 – Ex-PKR assemblyman Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (photo), who quit the party and toppled the Pakatan Rakyat coalition from Perak in early February, has now been accused of abusing his powers by appointing his second wife to a government company.

Titi Serong assemblyman Khalil Idham Lim Abdullah from Pas today lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), accusing his former comrade of failing to disclose the family relationship when approving her appointment as managing director of Tourism Perak Sdn Bhd.

He said this occurred last August, while the Changkat Jering assemblyman was still the Tourism, Human Capital Development and Non-Governmental Organisation committee chairman in the Pakatan Rakyat government.

“Sources told me that Osman, as chairman of Tourism Perak Sdn Bhd, held a meeting at the State Secretariat building. During this meeting, Noraini Samat, who to my knowledge was his second wife at the time, was appointed as the company’s managing director," Khalil told reporters outside the state MACC office here today.

“Osman failed to mention his relation to Noraini to the others and this was clearly an abuse of position," he said, adding Osman had also wrongfully accepted his own appointment as the signatory to the current account under the company’s name with a bank.

“The appointments, till this day, are still ongoing. This is why I am calling on the MACC to look into this carefully and declare the appointments invalid."

The Pas assemblyman said by holding office and engaging in company activities, Osman had contravened Article 16(8) of the Perak Constitution which states that “a member of the executive council shall not engage in any trade, business or profession connected with any subject of department for which he is responsible.”