KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 16): The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) has appointed Nooryana Najwa Najib, daughter of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, as its new member of the board of directors (BOD).  

Alongside Nooryana, the national trade promotion agency, which falls under the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (Miti), also appointed Miti secretary general Datuk Hairil Yahri Yaacob and Ministry of Finance fiscal and economics division undersecretary Dr Mastura Abdul Karim as new members of the board, according to its chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.  

“Before the meeting began, I handed over the letter of appointment [to] the new member of Matrade’s BOD, Nooryana Najwa Najib; and witnessed her taking the oath [to be] corruption-free, along with two other BOD members, Datuk Hairil Yahri Yaacob and Dr Mastura Abdul Karim,” he said in a Facebook post, after chairing the board’s meeting on Tuesday (Oct 15). 

“Congratulations to Nooryana Najwa for being appointed as a member of the BOD of Matrade,” Reezal added.

At press time, Matrade has not responded to The Edge’s enquiry over the appointment.  

Nooryana, 36, is an executive committee member of Umno’s women’s youth wing, Umno Puteri. In 2020, the then government, via the Inland Revenue Board (IRB), sued Nooryana for alleged failure to submit her individual income tax return forms to the tax agency for the years of assessment 2011 to 2017. 

The IRB contended that Nooryana had not paid the amount of income tax owed, including increases, totalling RM10.3 million.   

The High Court dismissed the government’s application for a summary judgement to be entered against Nooryana. The IRB had later in 2022, withdrew its appeal at the Court of Appeal against the dismissal of the application for the summary judgement.  

Meanwhile, Reezal, a former minister during the Perikatan Nasional administration under former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and the Barisan Nasional administration under former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, is an Umno Supreme Council member.  

He was appointed as Matrade chairman in May 2023. He lost his Kepala Batas parliamentary seat during the 2022 Malaysian general election, after representing the constituency for two terms prior.