GEORGE TOWN, June 1 ― Non-governmental organisation, Persatuan Anak Jati Pulau Pinang, lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) this morning over the state government's sale of a piece of land in Peel Avenue here.

The organisation chairman Datuk Huan Cheng Guan said he had given Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng one week to reveal the Sales and Purchase Agreement for the land in Peel Avenue but Lim did not respond to him.

“So today, I am here at the MACC office to lodge a report on the land sale which should have been sold through an open tender but was directly sold to the Island Hospital through direct negotiations,” he said.

He pointed out the Pakatan Harapan state government had always stressed on its open tender system but this time did not use the system for this piece of land.

“I am shocked and disappointed that the land which was worth hundreds of millions have been sold secretly to a foreign company,” he said.

He claimed that due to the “direct negotiation”, the land sale was done at a RM30.28 million loss.

To derive this amount, Huan claimed the land was evaluated on September 3, 2015 but the agreement of the land sale was signed on December 19, 2016.

“So between September 3, 2015 and December 19, 2016, the state government did not impose any interests on the land which should be at 8% per annum which comes up to RM30.28 million,” he explained.

Huan claimed that Island Hospital had only paid a deposit of RM30 million and will only pay the balance RM126 million two years later, after obtaining approval license from the health ministry.

He also demanded to know what had happened to a proposed private hospital on the controversial Taman Manggis land.

The state government sold the Taman Manggis land to Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre in 2012.

“We are also asking the MACC to investigate the sale of that land too,” he said.

Huan also refuted Lim's repeated claims that the previous Barisan Nasional state government had sold off more state land compared to the current administration.

He listed out land sales by the current state government from 2013 up to the sale of the land in Peel Avenue this year that involved more than 2,023 ha (5,000 acres) of land including the 1,618ha (4000 acres) of land reclamation off Permatang Damar Laut.

“Lim's state government had awarded projects totalling RM38 billion so if not for selling Penang's assets, where did the funds come from?” Huan asked.