GEORGE TOWN, April 6 — The Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre (KLIDC) did not apply to transfer the ownership of Taman Manggis here to another company, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng insisted today.

He showed as evidence copies of the land grant which still states KLIDC as the landowner.

“As we can see, the land is still under KLIDC and they have not made any applications to transfer the land ownership at all,” he told a press conference today.

The Penang lawmaker was refuting allegations by Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan that KLIDC had sold off the land to another company.

Abdul Rahman also alleged he had documents to show that the land was sold at RM70.6 million and that KLIDC was also sold off to another company.

In response, Lim showed printouts from the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) about KLIDC that listed the shareholders — Tang Yong Chew, Sally Chou, Low Soo Huat and Khoo Suan Phaik — as registered on August 27, 2015.

“Even SSM records did not show any changes in shareholders in KLIDC, so how can it be possible for someone to spend RM70.6 million and not immediately apply for the shareholders’ names to be changed to the new ones?” he pointed out.

He said anyone who paid to buy something, even a car, would want to have their names listed as the owner.

Lim demanded that Abdul Rahman show the documents he claimed he had, including the sales and purchase agreement on the sale of the controversial land for RM70.6 million.

He also accused Barisan Nasional (BN) of using the Taman Manggis controversy to cover up other bigger issues, such as the revelations by the Panama Papers, a huge leak of documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca on the offshore dealings of national leaders, politicians and celebrities around the world.

As for whether the state has approached KLIDC over these allegations, Lim said the state government has to be careful due to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations into the sale of the land by the state.

“We have to get the state legal adviser’s opinion on whether it is appropriate to check with KLIDC, especially with ongoing MACC investigations, but I believe the LA has reservations on this,” he said.

Lim also said the state will not allow transfer of the land ownership if it does not benefit the state and the people as a whole, if any applications were to be made.