An MIC division chairperson has lodged an alleged misappropriation of RM35,000 report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against a candidate for the Central Working Committee (CWC) contest.

V Balasubramaniam, who heads the Kampung Rajah division in Rawang, lodged the report on Aug 21 stating that former Selayang MIC chairperson M Ratnam, its former treasurer N Sivanyanam and current chairperson P Palaniapan, have yet to give a satisfactory account of the issue.

Palaniapan is among the 23 backed by MIC president S Samy Vellu in the fight for a seat in the CWC scheduled to be held during the Sept 12 party elections.

NONE Speaking to Malaysiakini , Balasubramaniam ( left ) said that former Selayang parliamentarian Chan Kong Choy and former Rawang state assembly representative Tan See Hang had donated the sum sometime between 2000 and 2003 for the construction of the Sungai Buloh MIC building.

He said that MIC was given the land situated next to the Sungai Buloh Umno division in Pusat Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh in the 1990s for which the division has been paying RM1,00 in quit rent.

Branch stopped paying taxes

"However, they stopped paying the tax after 2003 and there has not been any documentation to show why," said Balasubramaniam.

He added that because of that his worry now is of the land being transferred. He added that despite repeatedly raising the question during divisional and annual general meetings, he was ignored.

He recalled that in 2007, Ratnam informed him that the land had fallen under the MIC's Subang division when the parliamentary constituency boundary redrawing exercise prior to the 2004 general election was over.

Balasubramaniam also said that there had been allegations that Sivanyanam was relieved of his divisional treasurer ‘s post when questions arose over his handling of funds.

Upset at being constantly ignored Balasubramaniam then turned to the MACC, hoping for swift action which could reveal what had happened to the missing RM35,000.

NONE "As of now there is a nursery ( left) which is operating on that vacant land.

"I'm willing to give my full corporation to the MACC... all I want to know is what had happened to the RM35,000," said Balasubramaniam.

' We are transparent'

NONE Palaniapan ( right ), when contacted, denied that the cash had been misappropriated, stressing that the division had a complete record of the accounts and all transactions that had taken place.

"Balasubramaniam has never raised these issues since 2000. They brought it up during the division level elections in July.

"The land belongs to the government...we were given the land based on the temporary land occupation agreement and we had to pay about RM1,000," said Palaniapan.

Furthermore, he said that Chan had donated RM25,000 which Sivanyanam had suggested be invested but since there was no unanimous agreement, the amount is in a deposit account.

Where the quit rent was concerned, the Selayang division had stopped paying once the land came under the Subang parliamentary constituency.

"That was when Ratnam decided that the land should be given to the Subang division but I am not sure if they are still maintaining the land," Palaniappan said.

He added that the cash that was donated to the division for the building fund is kept in a fixed deposit which appears in the division' annual statement of accounts.