In the first indictments over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang and two others were charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT) and making false claims in the Klang Sessions Court today.

NONE The other two were Steven Abok, chief operating officer of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor of the project, and architect Bernard Tan Seng Swee of BTA Architect, the project consultant.

All three pleaded not guilty before judge Yong Zaridah Sazali.

Prosecution was done by deputy public prosecutors Manoj Kurup, Dzulkifli Ahmad and Hashley Tajudin.

Manoj said that Phang had been charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust over payments worth RM254.85 million to the project's developer.

She faces 20 years in jail if convicted.

The other two were slapped with charges of cheating in relation to an amount of RM122 million, the prosecutor said.

"They were charged for basically certifying work done when that work had not been done, and as a result of their certification the port authority paid out the money," he said.

The pair face up to 10 years in jail as well as a whipping if found guilty.

Duo wore face mask

The trio were brought to the court at about 1.55pm after they were arrested earlier today.

P NONE hang wore a turqoise coloured dress while Abok and Tan wore face masks.

Phang, represented by Ng Aik Guan, was granted a RM350,000 bail, with one surety.

She was accompanied by husband and daughter to the court.

Hearing for her case will start on Jan 12, on which date Phang has been asked to surrender her passport.

Abok and Tan ( photo, right ) were jointly charged with two counts making false claims involving a total sum of RM5.417 million.

Tan is also charged with together with another person still at large with 24 counts of making false claims involving a total sum of RM122.267 million.

T NONE hey claimed trial over the charges and bail was set at RM250,000 for Tan and RM200,000 for Abok, both with a surety each.

Their case will be mentioned on Feb 4.

Lawyer Tan Hock Chuan appeared for Abok ( photo, left) while George Varghese represented Tan.

In another development, attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail said that more people will be charged over their involvement in the PKFZ scandal on Monday.

Ex-transport minister also named

The PKFZ controversy arose after the cost to develop the massive 400-hectare integrated cargo distribution hub spiralled from RM1.9 billion to RM4.6 billion.

Phang, a former civil servant, was the first woman to head PKA. She helmed the authority from 2001 until last year.

Phang was blamed for the ballooning cost of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.

azlan A parliamentary probe by the Public Accounts Committee last month had recommended that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and police investigate Phang and former transport minister Chan Kong Choy, who held the portfolio from 2003 to 2008, for criminal breach of trust over the scandal.

The PAC probe also highlighted that certain procedures were carried out without the authorisation of the Finance Ministry.

The report said the PAC was informed by the attorney-general that three support letters issued by Chan and three letters of undertaking issued by Phang were implicitly a form of guarantee from the government to ensure that there would be allocations for PKA to enable it to meet its obligations under the development agreement.

Committee member Tony Pua said the developer ran out of money and received loans from the government and letters from Chan to guarantee a RM3.6 billion bank loan.

The government is now liable to bear that amount owed by the developer to the banks, he said.

PKA has since filed over a billion ringgit worth of suits against Kuala Dimensi and BTA Architects and also sued Phang for breach of duties.

Police have frozen several bank accounts of Kuala Dimensi.

The government has also set up an 11-member special taskforce headed by Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Sidek Hassan to determine misconduct and to restore the project.

[With additional reporting by Yip Ai Tsin]

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