News Of US$1 Bln Brunei Gift Not True - PMO Spokesman

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 (Bernama) -- The Prime Minister's Office has refuted a claim that the Sultan of Brunei had given a large sum of money to the Malaysian government to restore the country's economy. "It's not true," said a Prime Minister's Office spokesman when asked about viral postings on the matter on social media Tuesday. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei was the first foreign head of state to pay a courtesy call on new Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya Monday. Dr Mahathir was sworn in as the prime minister on Thursday. Photographs of the meeting began making the rounds on social media, with a caption mentioning the alleged gift to the government to restore the economy without the need for it to be paid back. -- BERNAMA