The government should present a White Paper on the status of its investigations into high-profile cases in the past decade when Parliament reconvenes on June 17 to prove its commitment to solving those cases, said an opposition leader.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang was responding to Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's statement on Friday that enforcement agencies such as the police and Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) work without fear or favour in resolving these high-profile cases.

"His (Abdullah) statement must have been taken with a big pinch of salt by Malaysians," said Lim in a statement, citing the decade-long RM10 billion Perwaja Steel scandal as one of the cases which has yet to be completed.

Lim said the deputy premier, in his preparation to become the next prime minister, was having a lot of practice of saying "a lot without meaning anything"

The opposition leader said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Rais Yatim was "more honest" for his statement early last week that enforcement agencies should not sit on cases involving criminal breach of trust (CBT) or elements of cheating.

Rais said his ministry was aware that investigations into 21 high-profile cases have gone on for a long time but have yet to be brought to the courts.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday, when asked to respond to Rais, that investigations into CBT cases were carried out irrespective of the positions of those suspected.

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Lim in his statement today also questioned the status of the ACA investigations into a series of corporate acquisitions in 1997 by Ling Hee Leong, son of MCA president and Transport Minister Dr Ling Liong Sik.

"Malaysians want to know how Hee Leong could at the age of 27 embark on corporate acquisitions exceeding RM1.2 billion in a matter of months and whether there had been improper use of his father's political and ministerial position," he said.

"If Hee Leong, who had no track record, could carry out the acquisitions on his own merit, then he should be an exemplary model for all aspiring entrepreneurs," he added.

Lim lodged a report on it with the ACA in June 1997. The agency has yet to act on it after five years.

He said Hee Leong's case could be one of the 21 unresolved high-profile cases mentioned by Rais. He also questioned if ACA had re-opened its file on Hee Leong following businessman Soh Chee Wen's return to the country two weeks ago.

Soh claimed his intimate business relationship with Ling's family helped him garner two high-ranking MCA posts and numerous government projects.

The 42-year-old businessman was charged with two offences to defraud a now defunct stockbroking firm in 1999. Subsequently, he left the country before a warrant of arrest was issued against him by the Securities Commission.

Soh is currently on a bail of RM2 million after he claimed trial for the two charges at the Shah Alam sessions court. The trial has been scheduled for Nov 18.