Thursday, August 27, 2009

New blog making claims and allegations on PKFZ issue


KUALA LUMPUR: More big names are being implicated and new allegations made concerning the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal in a newly-launched blog.

The blog www.truthabout-pkfz.blogspot.com was set up by a group describing themselves as “non-partisan Malaysians disgusted with the wrongdoings of corrupt businessmen, politicians and civil servants.”

Unnamed writers of the blog have made allegations regarding the issue, ranging from gangsterism involving a prominent businessman-politician to the purported involvement of several other politicians.

As of yesterday evening, it has posted a message from the group managing the blog and two articles, both dated Aug 24.

In one of the postings, it published a letter written by an anonymous person who claimed to be close to Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

In the letter, Tiong was described as a powerful person in Sarawak and as the “boss of Umno and MCA”.

The blog said those involved had links with Selangor bigshots and that Kuala Dimensi had bought the land cheaply from Koperasi Pembangunan Pulau Lumut Berhad (KPPL).

The report also claimed that Tan Sri Onn Ismail, who was then with KPPL, was the father-in-law of Kuala Dimensi deputy CEO Datuk Faisal Abdullah and that a part of the 202ha land of was bought for only RM3.1mil.

Kuala Dimensi eventually sold some 404ha of land to Port Klang Authority (PKA) for a whopping RM1.088bil.

There were also allegations of PKA staff being bullied by their superior and the hurried manner in which they were told to pursue matters relating to the purchase of the land even at a high price.

The writer of the blog posting who questioned the astronomical price paid for the land at RM25 psf said sarcastically that it took him two weeks to deliberate on all aspects before purchasing his car although it cost only RM45,000.

Other interesting revelations in the blog include the question of ownership of land at the time of sale in 2002 by Kuala Dimensi.

The writer claimed that Kuala Dimensi had on Nov 24, 1997, sold 305ha of the land to Great Profile Sdn Bhd and questioned how it was possible for the company to effect the land transaction with PKA if the land was not its.

The group managing the blog also appealed to those who could substantiate the allegations to forward their views.

On Aug 11, PKA lodged a police report against Kuala Dimensi, the turnkey contractor of PKFZ over alleged billing discrepancies ranging between RM500mil and RM1bil.

The discrepancies were uncovered by a special task force set up following the audit report on PKFZ by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

It discovered that Kuala Dimensi had possibly, among others, overclaimed and made fraudulent and unsubstantiated claims.

Yum Cha - by Khoo Kay Peng:

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