KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — Allegations that a contract has been issued to construct a multipurpose hall in Pagoh, Johor, for RM35 million were false and malicious, the Prime Minister’s Office said today.
Pagoh is the constituency of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The PMO said that the funds were, in fact, for three such halls in Johor: one in Tangkak costing RM13 million and two in Muar that cost a total of RM22.4 million.
“The development allocation is not for the construction of one hall as purported by some parties.
“The construction of all three halls is to meet the needs of the local community,” the PMO said in a statement.
It also added that the contracts were awarded via a tender process supervised by the Finance Ministry and not through direct negotiations.
The allegations were based on a January 11 circulating online that purported to be from the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department to the Works director-general on the matter.
The PMO’s statement did not address the authenticity of the letter.
