Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim denies conflict of interest in corporate sponsor row

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday said the Malaysian government paid its share of a two-week overseas tour of three continents, denying any conflict of interest as he moved to squash concerns over potential corporate sponsorship of government business.

Civil society groups and the opposition have accused Anwar of possible conflicts of interest and even corruption, after he told parliament that up to 80 per cent of the cost of a November 4-19 trip covering East Asia, the Middle East and South America was covered by private sponsors who took part in the tour.

On Monday, the prime minister clarified that the government had spent 1.6 million ringgit (US$372,000) to cover expenses for commercial flights on flagship airline Malaysia Airlines.

But the remaining costs of the shared charter flights amounting to 4.5 million ringgit (US$1 million) were covered by private entities joining the trade and investment delegation, he said, of trips that included to Shanghai and then the Apec summit of business leaders in Peru.

“I did not use private company funds. The government used MAS flights for the four-nation trip at a cost of 1.6 million ringgit. This was fully funded by the government … there is no conflict of interest,” Anwar said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

Last week, Anwar told parliament that private entities with business interests at the tour destinations paid a chunk of the travel bill, as the government explored new approaches towards minimising travel costs.