BN: Was mega deal finalised in Taiwan?

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Mar 16, 2013

(Free Malaysia Today) – Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also asked to explain why the RM6.3 billion infrastructure project was awarded to a company headed by an ex-convict

The state BN youth has alleged that the state government’s ambitious RM6.3 billion mega infrastructure project was finalised in Taiwan, not in Penang, and wants Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to clarify.

The movement’s information chief, H’ng Khoon Leng, also questioned how could the Pakatan Rakyat government entrust a mega project to a RM2 company headed by an ex-convict of a white collar crime?

He said he had received information from reliable sources that Lim and representatives from Chinese companies China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd and Beijing Urban Construction Group all held various private meetings to finalise the deal in Taiwan.

“This is a Penang project but we heard all dealings were finalised in Taiwan. We urge the chief minister to clarify this,” said H’ng, also the state Gerakan youth vice chairman, at press conference at state BN office here today.

Also present were Penang’s MIC youth chief J Dhinagaran and, Gerakan youth vice chairmen, Tan Kah Leong and Ng Say Kheng.

H’ng also alleged that the chairman of Konsortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd, which was awarded the project, was an ex-felon Zarul Ahmad Mohamad Zulkifli.

According to records, he said Zarul, a former senior executive of Rakyat Merchant Bankers Bhd (RMB), was convicted with two other bank executives in a loan scandal in 1993.

Zarul and two others were charged in 1994 by Bank Negara under the Banking and Financial Institutions (Bafia) Act 1989 for exceeding their limits and approving RM126,876,705 in loans.

Zarul and another pleaded guilty to giving RM10,554,840 facility to a RMB client on Nov 23, 1993. Zarul also pleaded guilty to transferring RM67.5 million to RMB clients on Nov 24.

Zarul, the former head of RMB public affairs was sentenced to a day’s jail and fined RM10,000 on the first charge and a further RM50,000 or three month’s jail on second.

Open tender

H’ng said according to the facts of the prosecution case, the bank faced problems due to the irresponsible attitude of its senior officers.

“Awarding a mega project to a company under an ex-convict of commercial crime had raised serious concerns among the people of Penang.

“Can the state government guarantee that the project will be carried out smoothly without any problems?” asked H’ng.