KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 21): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday that about 70% to 80% of the costs of his official trips to five countries over the past two weeks were paid by private companies.

The companies included Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), Sapura Energy Bhd (KL:SAPNRG), Yinson Holdings Bhd (KL:YINSON), Proton Holdings Bhd and various semiconductor firms.

Anwar said he had worked with Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz to invite several companies to participate in the trips in an effort to manage the expenses of his official overseas visits more efficiently.

"These companies have business and investment interests in the countries (that I had) visited. So they paid for the fares and costs. If I'm not mistaken, around 70% to 80% of the flight costs were borne by these companies. In return, the government helps these companies, be it imports or exports," Anwar said during the weekly Prime Minister's Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said that the final total of the flight costs have yet to be detailed as he had only just returned from these visits.

"However, the costs were indeed high as the trips covered Kuala Lumpur, Cairo, Riyadh, Lima, Rio de Janeiro and Doha. It spanned three continents, but 75% of the costs were covered by the said companies," he said.

Bernama reported that Anwar had been on overseas visits since Nov 9, travelling to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Brazil, and only returning home on Wednesday night.

During the 11-day official and working visits, Anwar led the Malaysian delegation to key events, including the 31st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders' Week (AELW), the G20 Summit, and the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit.

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