By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — The onus is now on MACC and other enforcement agencies to act on the recent findings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, says Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng.
He told The Malaysian Insider today that he was very relieved that proactive action was being taken.
"The findings of the PAC report are a reaffirmation of what we have been doing. Finally, the ball is in their (MACC) court," said the PKA boss.
Lee feels that the various agencies involved besides the MACC, such as the Attorney-General's Chambers, should now take appropriate measures to ensure that justice prevails.
He said that the Bar Council must also play an important role in what could possibly be the biggest scandal to hit the nation in decades.
“I have lodged a complaint against our consultant to the Bar Council. I am looking to the Bar Council to fulfil whatever is needed as they are at the forefront of legality.”
He dismissed calls by some people for "real action" to be taken by the likes of MACC and the police, stating that they have been doing a consistent job.
"They have been working really hard. My officers have been working together with MACC and the Attorney-General's office almost every other day in dealing with this matter," explained Lee.
The PAC recently released a report which found that the government would have saved RM645.87 million if the land for the PKFZ had been acquired in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1960.
It also reported that the cost of the land was RM47.76 per square foot, or 67 per cent higher, than the RM25 fixed by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH).
The PAC report implicates high-ranking government officials, the Cabinet and even former Transport Minister Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy.
Even former officials in the ministries involved have said that the Cabinet was well aware of the situation and that in order for the acquisition to have taken place, the Cabinet's stamp of approval was essential.
The PAC has recommended that Chan and former PKA general manager Datin Paduka O.C. Phang be investigated for criminal breach of trust in the PKFZ scandal.
It also recommended investigation into the role of other government officials serving in PKA when the project was being developed.
The PAC found both Chan and Phang to have breached the Financial Procedure Act 1957 by issuing three letters of support and three letters of undertaking without the approval of the Finance Ministry.
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