PKFZ scandal in MACC’s hands now

(The Malaysian Insider) As of 9 this morning, the question of who will take the rap for the RM10 billion overspent in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) can only be answered by the anti-graft squad.

Port Klang Authority chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng spent an hour inside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) building where he also had a 10-minute meeting with deputy director-general Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed.

He had handed over a copy of the much-anticipated PricewaterhouseCoopers audit which detailed how an RM1.9 billion operation has become a potential RM12.5 billion controversy with several Barisan Nasional leaders implicated.

He told reporters after the meeting that PKA "could go no further" as it has no investigative powers, but that all staff cooperate with the anti-corruption body and "open all books" for investigations.

The former Subang MP added that there would be no internal discipline pending the results of the MACC probe.

"We cannot be judgmental. We will wait for the outcome of the MACC investigation before looking to see if the staff have done anything wrong," he said.

Lee will also deliver a copy to Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid, who chairs Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, later today.

He added that PKA would appoint a team of external lawyers and accountants to look into the books to see if it could recoup lost funds.