Chief Secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan today said that the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission were almost done in their respective investigations into the Port Klang Free Zone project.

Mohd Sidek, who is the chairperson of the Special Task Force on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Development Project, said that outcome of police investigations so far had identified several offences in the implementation of development works at the PKFZ and police investigations were now in the final stage.

He said that police had initiated an investigation following a police report lodged by the PKA chairperson on Aug 11, which alleged that Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) and the consultant appointed for the PKFZ Project had involved a total cost of RM398,663,000, by recording statements from numerous witnesses and obtaining documents on the case which could assist in the investigation.

Mohd Sidek also said the documents pertaining to the PKFZ case had already been obtained by the MACC from the relevant parties.

He said the MACC investigation on the PKFZ case was expected to be completed by the end of next month.

He also said that the special task force has agreed that the Transport Ministry asked the Board of Directors of the Port Klang Authority (PKA) to consider the recommendations by the Corporate Governance Ad Hoc Committee on the PKFZ project created by the ministry earlier.

He said the recommendations could be implemented without involving any amendments to the law.

"For example, the creation of the Ethics and Integrity Monitoring Committee and the appointment of independent non-executive members who would constitute one-third of the PKA board of directors," he said in a statement today.

Mohd Sidek said this was among the matters that had been agreed upon by the third meeting of the special task force held on Nov 2.

PKA shouldn't involve in business activities

So far, the special task force that was set up to identify weaknesses in the governance and management of the PKFZ implementation and improvement measures that needed to be taken, had already convened three meetings.

He said the meeting on Nov 2 also agreed to set up the best governance, to review the composition of the board of directors in Federal statutory bodies and government companies (Finance Minister Incorporated) and GLCs (Government-Linked Corporations), including reviewing the relevant laws.

He said the meeting also agreed that the PKA focused on its role as a regulatory body and not be involved in business activities such as the PKFZ.

"As such, the focus group on the PKA restructuring chaired by the Secretary-General of the Treasury is asked to scrutinise the recommendations on the restructuring and present its recommendations to the special task force immediately," said Mohd Sidek.

He said the meeting also agreed that the decisions of the special task force meetings be implemented in stages and not at the end of the six-month period given to the special task force to conclude its tasks.

Mohd Sidek said the meeting had been briefed by the chairperson of the Corporate Governance Ad-hoc Committee on the PKFZ Project, Paul Low, on the findings of the committee.

- Bernama