“The appointment of Sidek as the chairman and Saw as a member of the RCI is in order to establish continuity as the pair were part of the special task force on the same issue before”
PETALING JAYA: The Government has officially announced the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the foreign exchange (forex) losses suffered by Bank Negara Malaysia in the 1990s.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday that Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V approved the formation of the RCI, as well as matters related to its membership and scope of duties.
The RCI will be chaired by former chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, who previously headed the special task force formed in February to perform an initial probe into the losses that allegedly amounted to billions of ringgit.
Mohd Sidek will be assisted by five other members – High Court judge Datuk Wira Kamaludin Md Said, Bursa Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tajuddin Atan, Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah) co-chairman Tan Sri Saw Choo Boon, Malaysian Institute of Accountants member K. Puspanathan, and Finance Ministry strategic investment division director Datuk Dr Yusof Ismail.
“The appointment of Sidek as the chairman and Saw as a member of the RCI is in order to establish continuity as the pair were part of the special task force on the same issue before,” said the PMO.
It added that the other members were appointed based on their qualifications and experience in areas closely related to the investigation being conducted by the commission
The RCI will be responsible for verifying the allegations that Bank Negara had experienced significant losses resulting from foreign currency transactions in the 1990s and its implications to the national economy.
Source: The Star Online
