KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — Selangor Opposition chief Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said today he is being investigated for questioning the finances of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), calling it an attempt to intimidate him for raising crucial questions of public interest in the state legislature.
Azmin told a press conference here he was served a Notice under Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code requesting the former Selangor menteri besar to be present at the Shah Alam police district headquarters tomorrow.
“In discharging my duties as a member of the State Legislative Assembly and as the leader of the opposition, I have recently raised some issues relating to the administration of the state in general and the management of PKNS in particular,” Azmin told the press at the Perikatan Nasional headquarters here.
“But I was shocked when I was issued a notice under Section 111 of the CPC...to give my statement in relation to what I had said in the state assembly while discharging my function and duty.”
Lawmakers both at the federal and state levels enjoy constitutional immunity from civil or legal action for any statements or allegations made in Parliament or the state legislature, a privilege that is meant to give them the freedom to debate any issues in the name of public interest without fear of reprisal.
This privilege is also enshrined in state constitutions. Azmin said Section 2 of the Schedule to the Selangor State Constitution 1959 guarantees members of the state legislature freedom of speech which cannot be challenged or disputed in any court or tribunal outside the House.
The Hulu Klang lawmaker is now challenging the constitutionality of the police investigation against him. This morning his lawyers filed a notice for a judicial review at the Shah Alam High Court.
The former Selangor MB is now seeking the police to delay the investigation pending a decision on whether or not he would be granted leave to hear his application.
"I believe the authorities should allow the court process to take place in respect of democracy," he said.
In March, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had rejected Azmin's claims that the PKNS was in a dire financial situation and that it had not incurred a debt of RM5.7 billion.
Azmin had previously cited a report titled “The Awakening” that revealed that the financial performance of PKNS in 2023 was in a dire state as PKNS was in a negative net cash position.
Azmin, who is Amirudin’s predecessor in the role of Selangor menteri besar, also asked for an explanation from the Selangor state government after PKNS sold the development rights of PJ Sentral which is expected to give a return worth RM1.04 billion, to Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) with a value of RM270 million.
