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No. 4704 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Wednesday
February 25, 2009
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com

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Merlin pg18
reinvented
SHAH ALAM: The Mentri Besar Incorporated
(MBI), a state government subsidiary, said yes-
terday there were discrepancies in Permodalan
Negeri Selangor Berhad’s (PNSB) purchase of
properties of Al Marwa Tower Makkah, Saudi
Arabia in 2007.
The Mentri Besar’s Office said in a statement
yesterday the discrepancies were detected by
external auditors and brought to the attention
of MBI’s current board which has appointed
advisers to evaluate expenses of the state
government’s subsidiaries.
The discrepancies were uncovered amid
concerns by MBI over PNSB’s delay in finalising
the 2007 financial accounts.
The statement said that according to the
PNSB Directors Circular Resolution dated Sept
14, 2007, PNSB had approved for the pur-
chase of five units of properties amounting to
RM8,352,427.66.
Discrepancies in PNSB’s Saudi property purchase
However, records showed that PNSB had
between Sept 17, 2007 and Sept 19, 2007 trans-
ferred RM25,603,545 to Saudi Arabia for 12 units
of properties.
Between Sept 25, 2007 and Oct 3, 2007 PNSB
received cheques amounting to RM17,251,092
from an individual – said to be for the purchase
of seven units from PNSB at the price PNSB had
paid for.
No official receipt was issued to acknowledge
it.
It has come to the attention of board of direc-
tors this year that PNSB prepared and signed
four cheques amounting to RM8,000,205.20 to
an individual, who is the same person who had
earlier handed over cheques to PNSB amounting
to RM17,251,032 stated above.
However, three of the four cheques prepared
and signed by authorised signatories were then
cancelled.
The fourth cheque amounting RM2 million
was released and banked in into the account of
the individual. PNSB then arranged with the bank
to stop payment.
“Between the date of the acquisition of the
additional seven units making a total of 12 units
and the disposal of the seven units leaving five
units in the hand of PNSB, there was no board of
directors meeting or Board of Directors Circular
Resolution for the transaction.
“Up to the point of issuance and cancellation
of cheques to the individual, no board minutes
or circular resolution were made,” said the state-
ment.
“It should be noted that the acquisition
was made in the name of the then PNSB
chairman Datuk Sri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo as
Saudi requirement that properties within the
Mecca must be in the name of Muslim
individuals.”
At the board of directors meeting in Decem-
ber 2007, Khir disclosed that the properties were
in his name but assured the directors he would
not be making any claim over them.
However, there was no mention of the exact
number of units held by him.
“The above actions are certainly puzzling.
Why did PNSB paid more than RM25 million
when the board only approved about RM8 mil-
lion for five units?
“Why did it then accept about RM17 million
– said to be for the sale of the seven units? Why
did it then attempt to re-purchase the units it
had sold off?”
The statement said Mentri Besar Tan
Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the current MBI
chairman, intends to find the answers to the
above questions and will not hesitate to take
strong action should there be any criminality
involved.

A fair, professional MACC

ABDULLAH WANTS

EPAPIX
GRAFT-BUSTING
On the
BODY TO BE march
again ...
WORLD CLASS
UALA LUMPUR: Prime Minis-
A Buddhist monk
joins thousands
of protesters to cross

K ter Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad

Badawi says it is paramount for
the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC) to be fair and
professional, and seen to be so, in all
its dealings.
As such he hoped that each and
every officer regardless of position
or rank, would carry out his or her
duties to the highest standard of
professionalism. In this context, he
stressed that dedication, impartiality
and fairness must be part and parcel
of their job. “In that sense, your
conduct, while on duty or even
off duty, must always be beyond
reproach and in conformity with the
laws of the land. If not, all our efforts
thus far to implement institutional
reforms may come to naught,” he
said when launching the MACC.
The MACC came into force on
Jan 1 to replace the role previously
carried out by the Anti-Corruption
Agency. It has been given more bite
and independence in its mission to
fight all forms of corruption, abuse
of power and malpractice.
Abdullah said that the govern-
ment did not want the efforts to set
up the MACC to be regarded as mere
rhetoric or a rebranding exercise.
“Without significant changes to
the structure and improvement in its
effectiveness, there are bound to be
perceptions about the MACC being
impartial, a toothless tiger, selective
in its enforcement, slow in taking
action and unprofessional in its
investigations.
“These perceptions will, in some
ways, mar the image of the MACC,”
he said before presenting appoint-
ment letters to 42 members of five
panels and boards set up to oversee
and coordinate the MACC’s opera-
tions (full list on page 2).
Abdullah’s remarks come in the
wake of public outcry over MACC
chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Ham-
dan’s statement last Friday that there
was “good and strong evidence”
Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Kha-
lid Ibrahim had abused his powers
over maintenance of his personal
vehicle and purchase of 46 cows for
Aidiladha
Among the 42 appointees are
former Chief Justice of Malaya Tun
Abdul Hamid Mohamad, Suhakam
commissioner Tan Sri Simon
Sipaun, Transparency International-
Malaysia president Tan Sri Ramon
Navaratnam and Malaysian Institute
of Corporate Governance president
Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat
Khas. Others include former judges,
academics, lawyers, businessmen,
accountants and ex-civil servants.
Abdullah said he wanted the
MACC to become a world-class graft-
busting organisation and that it was
important for it to be “outstanding
a barricade set up by
anti-riot police during a
massive rally to besiege
the Government House
in Bangkok yesterday.
Thousands of exiled
former premier Thaksin
Shinawatra’s supporters
clad in red marched on
Government House, as
they did last year, in
an effort to highlight
what they see as the
illegitimacy of the current
administration. They
called for the resignation
of Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva and his
two-month-old coalition
government days before
it hosts an Asean summit
in Hua Hin, outside
Bangkok.
Full report page 8
in the country as well as the region” corruption still exists within the
and for it to be respected by all. public and private sectors remains.
He said the launch marked the “This was one of the primary
beginning of a very important chapter motivations that galvanised my
in the country’s agenda to strengthen government to make a concerted
integrity and fight corruption. effort to fight corruption across the
“I believe the restructuring of board and implement actions and
MACC into a commission and the policies based on good governance
strengthening of its capacity will principles.”
increase its delivery and effective-
ness, and usher a new era in the
war against graft. Over the years, »
Citizen Nades:
Malaysia has taken steps to reduce Feeble attempts to show
corruption. While steady progress independence Page 12
has been made, the perception that