Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin today revealed he had been told that much of the furniture in Seri Perdana had been removed as it was claimed to be owned by Najib Razak.

“Based on the report I received, the Prime Minister’s Department also recommended the purchase of furniture as much of the furniture assets in Seri Perdana which were claimed to be owned by the sixth prime minister had been removed,” Muhyiddin, who served 17 months at the top office, said in a statement calling for the details of repair works at the prime minister’s official residence to be made public.

Yesterday, Najib questioned the RM38.5 million spent by the government to carry out repair and renovation works at the sprawling complex in Putrajaya.

Taking a swipe at Muhyiddin, Najib also said the building was still in good condition when he left it in May 2018, adding that the RM38.5 million bill was not justified during the time of the pandemic.

Muhyiddin today said he welcomed the relevant units at the Works Department and the Prime Minister’s Department with knowledge of the repairs at Seri Perdana to detail the works carried out.

“In keeping with the principles of transparency and integrity practised by the government, the relevant departments can come forward to provide clarification to the public on this matter.

“For the record, I never occupied Seri Perdana during my tenure as prime minister,” he added.

Muhyiddin further said that the decision to renovate Seri Perdana was in order to restore the building which had become a symbol of the institution of government to its former condition.

“If it was not immediately restored, this heritage building would have suffered more severe damage which would have cost even more to repair,” he said.

He also said the restoration works had been closely monitored by a task force comprising officers from the Prime Minister’s Department and Works Department.

Located in Precint 10 of Putrajaya, the Seri Perdana complex was built during the first term of Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1997, replacing the previous official residence of the prime minister in Kuala Lumpur.