Former Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek today said that he was ready to cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over a purported land scam involving his former political secretary and the ministry.

On Friday the MCA Integrity Watch Group lodged a MACC report against Chua's former political secretary over the sale and purchase of a land which was subsequently earmarked for a polyclinic in Johor.

chua soi lek pc on police report on ketuan melayu 031208 03 The corruption report was based on certain documents that the MCA Integrity Watch Group had received concerning the former minister and his aide.

Responding today in his blog , Chua, who is the party's deputy president, clarified the purchase of the land but denied that he or any of his ministry staff were involved in the land acquirement.

"Acquisition of land by government agency is often a complicated process where the minister and its staff are not involved.

"In the case of Ministry of Health, often the process starts from the district health clinic which make the recommendation to the state and finally to the ministry," he said.

He added that the said land was acquired by the ministry for the purpose of constructing a health clinic in Johor Baru.

He said there was nothing wrong in this as every year the ministry acquired many pieces of land and the size of land acquired varied according to the type of health clinic to be constructed.

Report lodged on Friday

He said that at the ministry, a land development committee chaired by the ministry's secretary-general will evaluate the land after a budget has been allocated.

"Valuation of the land is then done by the Valuation Department. If the offer price of the land is way above the valuation as done by the Valuation Department, then often this is rejected by the said committee.

"Then there is the process of gazetting the land and the actual process of acquisition, which is done by the local land office," he added.

He stressed that in the whole process the minister and his staff are not involved.

"I am more than willing to cooperate with the MACC so that any founded allegation can be rebutted," he added.

Malaysiakini reported on Saturday that the land scam involved the setting up of a special purpose vehicle, whose directors were believed to be related to the political secretary.

mca 60th anniversary chua soi lek and ong tee keat 030309 07 Chua was the health minister from 2004 to 2008 before he was forced to resign from all party and government posts due to a sex scandal.

He made a comeback last year by winning the MCA deputy president's post. However things are not too rosy for him in the party following a deep divide between his camp and the president's camp.