Jumaat, 30 Januari 2015

Chong Chieng Jen's Blog

Chong Chieng Jen's Blog


MACC to probe Batu Kawah land deal

Posted: 28 Jan 2015 09:48 PM PST

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has assured Sarawak DAP it is investigating the Batu Kawah land deal which was alienated by the state government to a private company at far below market price.

Revealing this at a media conference in Kuching today, state DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen said that he had received a letter from MACC that it would look into the complaints following documents submitted by him on Jan 14, 2015.

The MACC letter, dated Jan 21, addressed to Chong said its Information Review Committee, after a meeting, made the decision to follow up on the complaint.

Chong who is the Bandar Kuching MP for and Kota Sentosa assemblyperson, called on the state government to freeze the land deal while waiting for the outcome of the investigation.

The 267.15 acres of state land, valued at the market price of RM500 million, was alienated to the private company at RM115 million.

The agreement was entered into on Mar 8, 2014, eight days after Adenan Satem became chief minister of Sarawak.

'Freeze the land deal'

Chong said the land deal was Adenan's  "first test" to uphold the integrity pledge he had signed.

"If Adenan really meant what he had pledged by signing the 'integrity pledge' then he should freeze the land deal and even revoke the agreement.

"Moreover, this is the opportunity for Adenan to save at least RM400 million for the State coffer," said Chong.

This sum of money could be used to build more schools and low cost houses for the people, he added.

He suggested that the state could have made much more if the 267.15 acres of the state land was sold through an open tender process.

Chong (right) said that for Adenan, it was the first 'dubious' land deal under him and urged the chief minister to put a stop to it.

"It is pure common sense that such direct alienation of state land without going through the open tender process is 'conducive to corruption'," he said.

On January 14, Chong submitted several documents including the agreement between the state government and the private company to the MACC.

In the letter, he described the facts in the agreement as 'highly suspicious' and called on the MACC to launch an investigation.
 
on MalaysiaKini(29/01/2015)

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