PUTRAJAYA: Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof will face an inquisition by four ministers on the extent of his "help" to a timber importer when he asked the Customs to "close one eye" on an illegal consignment of logs.
The inquiry panel will be led by Deputy Prime Minister and Barison Nasional chief Whip in Parliament, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Other members are Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz. They are the BN’s deputy Whips.
"We agreed to form a panel to meet with the Jasin MP soon," Najib said after launching the National Entrepreneur Institute here yesterday. "We have yet to set the date as we just finished the Sarawak election."
Initially, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had asked Najib to meet Mohd Said for an explanation of the incident.
The New Straits Times reported on May 4 that an MP had asked Customs for leniency regarding the import of a consignment of timber.
Mohd Said later admitted he was the MP in question and that he had an interest in the importation because his shipping and forwarding company was handling the consignment.
This sparked an uproar in Parliament, which saw the resignation of Datuk Shahrir Samad as president of the Backbenchers' Club after BN MPs voted against a DAP motion to refer the NST to the Rights and Privileges Committee to verify the report. Shahrir had supported the motion.
The Cabinet subsequently agreed to set up a committee to draft ethical guidelines for MPs engaged in business.
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