KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — The Attorney-General’s Chambers must answer as to whom it will hold responsible for the massive losses in the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project now that the court has acquitted Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy, opposition lawmakers said today.
In an immediate reaction, several senior Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders told The Malay Mail Online that today’s High Court decision showed the PKFZ charges were “dubiously” framed”, which they said enforced public scepticism over the authorities landing any “big fish” in corruption cases.
“The RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal is another heinous crime without criminals. So the question now with this acquittal is, who is responsible? Who will have to pay the price?” asked DAP parliamentary leader, Lim Kit Siang.
“Were the high-profile charges made under the Najib leadership serious, or was it just to give an impression that some form of action would be taken against high-ranking people?” he pressed further.
“This is a gross loss of public funds, someone has to be held accountable,” the Gelang Patah MP demanded.
PAS’ Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said that the High Court judgment “didn’t make sense at all”, and that it is reflective of how easy it is to siphon off money and funds in Malaysia.
“This is such a big scandal, how come the charges against people have not stuck? So who cheated the government then? Did no one commit a crime then?
“The bigger question here is accountability. You say justice will be served, but where is the justice? Where I ask you?” the Changkat Jering state assemblyman added.
PKR Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said he had “expected” the news of Chan’s acquittal and voiced his cynicism over the government’s ability to successfully prosecute and put away any high-ranking individual over the shipping hub scandal.
“Today’s acquittal shows what every Malaysian had expected to happen. Connection and ties will always get you places and it seems that here, in Malaysia we have crimes but no criminals,” he told The Malay Mail Online.
The High Court earlier today acquitted former transport minister Chan of three counts of cheating the government over the controversial PKFZ project after the public prosecutor decided to withdraw the charges.
According to Chan’s lawyer, Datuk Tan Hock Chuan, the prosecution’s decision was made considering his client’s application to strike out the case.
The prosecution had also considered the testimonies in a separate PKFZ case involving another former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, who was also acquitted last year, Tan said.
On February 28, 2011, Chan was charged with three counts of cheating then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over development and renovation works at the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) site between 2004 and 2006.
In the first charge, Chan was alleged to have misled Abdullah in 2004 into approving Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) as the turnkey developer for a 1,000-acre piece of land on Pulau Indah at an estimated cost of RM1 billion.
The second charge revolved around RM510.38 million of further development work in PKFZ in 2005.
The last charge was related to infrastructure work in early 2006 which amounted to RM335.8 million.
Last year, Chan’s lawyers filed a letter of representation to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to get the charges against the former MCA deputy president dropped.
Last October 25, Ling, who is also a former MCA president, was acquitted of all charges in a cheating case over a land purchase for the PKFZ project.
The AG’s Chambers did not appeal against Ling’s acquittal.
