Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd’s (KSSB) board of directors received the biggest slice of the generous bonuses dished out by the Selangor government-owned company in the first nine months of its operations, its chairperson said today.

Testifying at the second day of the Selangor Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) committee probe into the company, Abdul Shukor Nagor ( at the mike in photo below ) said the company’s executive director received the biggest bonus – a whopping RM82,000 for the financial year ending June 2009.

NONE In total, the company paid out RM503,613.59 in bonuses to 45 people that financial year, with the board of directors and three senior managers receiving a four months' salary as bonus while the bulk of the frontline staff received a one-and-a-half month's salary as bonus.

Abdul Shukor said the bonus payouts were an incentive to retain staff as well as to reward them for their hard work.

"This is a very hazardous industry and they work very hard and put in very long hours.

"We were already making a profit in December 2008 and our forecast for the financial year-end showed the company was performing very well for a start-up. In my experience, it has done extremely well," he said.

'No threats to date'

However, Shukor - who was seen shifting uncomfortably in his seat during his testimony - refused to say if it was "prudent practice" to offer interim bonuses so early in the financial year, based on his extensive corporate experience.

"My opinion is no," panel chairperson Teng Chang Kim told Shukor after failing to get a straight answer from the latter.

Shukor said he himself received RM48,000 as bonus. To another question from Teng, he said he did not receive any threat to his safety, to date.

NONE Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has denied that it was preventing Kapar member of parliament S Manikavasagam ( right ) from attending the ongoing Selcat hearing.

In a statement today, the body said its officer had only advised Manikavasagam that the contents of the report he lodged with the MACC on sand-smuggling activities allegedly involving KSSB should not be disclosed to other parties.

Speaking to reporters later, Manikavasagam said he had collected more documentary evidence to implicate KSSB in the alleged corruption.

"What I presented to the MB (Khalid Ibrahim) at our meeting was only 30 percent of the evidence," he said.

He added that more witnesses had now come forward to support his case, including three KSSB contractors and two staff members, and that he would make an application for them to be heard by the Selcat panel tomorrow, its last day of hearing.

"I am satisfied so far, but I think the hearing should be at least a week longer to hear the testimony of the witnesses who can nail the case against KSSB," he told reporters.

However, Manikavasagam said that he had yet to receive clearance from the Dewan Rakyat speaker to attend tomorrow's Selcat hearing, and that,  in accordance with the directive from the MACC, he would not testify but would hand over the documents he has.

"If I get the green light from the speaker, I will attend tomorrow to submit all the documents. It's all ready to go. I brought this up, so I will see it to the end," he added.

We didn't bar Kapar MP from inquiry: MACC