BN Backbenchers Committee chairperson and Bintulu parliamentarian Tiong King Sing has filed a defamation suit against Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Paul Low over a report on corruption in Malaysia.

ti global corruption report 230909 paul low Low, in launching Transparency International Global Corruption Report 2009 two months ago, had remarked that the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal as a major issue of concern in Malaysia.

Tiong’s company Kuala Dimensi is embroiled in the multi-billion ringgit PKFZ scandal.

TI-M secretary-general CI Ngooi said that the anti-corruption watchdog received the suit yesterday.

According to him, TI-M had earlier responded to the letter of demand from Tiong stating that the organisation was unclear how Low had defamed the tycoon-cum-MP. TI-M did not hear from Tiong until yesterday’s lawsuit.

“TI-M's members overwhelmingly resolved in the emergency general meeting on Nov 7 to stand behind the GCR 2009 and Paul Low, and to establish a legal defence fund.

“TI-M hopes that the public will support the legal defence fund, so that TI-M will not be hampered or deterred in its work that is crucial.”

Kuala Dimensi had been in the limelight for the wrong reasons in recent months after it had been identified as a cause for the cost of the PKFZ project to balloon from RM2.5 billion up to RM4.6 billion, and eventually hitting a possibly staggering RM12 billion.

The PKFZ aims to become a hub for the transfer of goods to ships and was built on 405 hectares of land for the establishment of warehouses, office blocks and a four-star hotel. Kuala Dimensi was the turnkey developer for the project.

As a result of the fallout, both Kuala Dimensi and PKFZ project proponent Port Klang Authority are involved in suits and counter-suits.