PKFZ: The litmus test that is set to fail

By admin-s Last updated Dec 3, 2014

Terence Fernandez, The Malaysian Insider

Almost five years ago in January 2010, I along with colleagues Llew Ann Phang and R. Nadeswaran sat down with Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail for an interview at his office.

A bulk of the two hours spent with the A-G was on discussing the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal. The RM4.6 billion it was costing taxpayers – from overvalued, encumbered land to unauthorised additional works and the exit of consultants Jebel Ali Free Zone – had resulted in an unprecedented public uproar not seen since the Bumiputera Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal in the 1980s.

The A-G is not the most media-friendly person one would meet. One can see the utter look of terror in the eyes of young reporters when they are asked to call him for comments.

Hence we would always tell them to read up and make sure they knew their stuff or else “Gani will chew you up”.

But PKFZ was something that we knew well; having broken several stories on it. The number of documents that were in our possession at that time were numerous and varied, and were passed to independent auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

So there we were at the A-G’s Chambers in Putrajaya asking for action without fear or favour. After all, the final cost to taxpayers taking into consideration interests and inflation according to PWC would be RM12.5 billion.

At the time of the interview with Gani, former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager Datin Paduka O.C. Phang, Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) chief operating officer Stephen Abok and BTA Architect consultant Bernard Tan Seng Swee had already been charged for various counts of cheating and criminal breach of trust.

But what about the big fish? Well, in Gani’s own words then:

“You don’t swindle that kind of money if you’re not a big fish. So let’s get this straight first then we go to the next one.

“After four to five months, at least we produced three people. This is not the end of the matter.

“I can assure you that PKFZ is going in the right direction. It’s going fine.”

“If I fail my case, you people will bray like donkeys around the street to say the A-G bodoh (stupid), or he must have been paid off!

“Let us do our job properly.

“Do you think I’ve got any mercy for anyone at this point of time?” (theSun, January 14, 2010)

Gani did keep to his word on the “big fish” as soon after former transport ministers Tun Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy were charged for various counts of misleading the cabinet and cheating.

Well we know that the “Big Fish” have been acquitted after Gani withdrew charges against Chan. The prosecution also did not appeal Ling’s acquittal.