Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng wants the alleged RM5.4 million progressive payment fraud which occurred two years ago in the redevelopment project of the Swettenham Pier to be made transparent.

lim guan eng comments on keshvinder quit dap 160610 Lim ( right ), in a press statement issued today, urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Transport Ministry and Penang Port Commission (PPC) not to cover up the purported fraud involving the project, which cost RM65 million.

“The Attorney-General’s Chambers, Transport Ministry and PPC should not be evasive but come clean over the scandal to explain if any money was recovered and the apparent inaction,” he said.

He urged the authorities to take the matter seriously and be accountable and transparent to protect public interest.

In a written reply to Lim’s question in Parliament on June 14, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz said that the probe  into the claims was still ongoing.

He said investigation papers had yet to be forwarded to the Attorney General’s Chambers as investigators were still working on the case.

Exposed two years ago

The ‘scandal’ was exposed by former Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat on Aug 16, 2008.

He had revealed that the contractor involved in the project to  redevelop  the international pier managed to collect RM5.4 million after falsifying documents.

NONE Ong ( left ) had said that the matter had already been referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for action.

Lim said the written reply (from Nazri) contradicted Ong’s report by saying that investigations were still continuing .

He questioned why the Transport Ministry did not pursue the matter to the end when it was Ong himself who exposed the scandal.

The original claim for the progressive payments for the project was RM1.92 million.

Lim expressed shock that there are no efforts to recover the money, where the PPC and the Transport Ministry “do not appear to be actively pursuing the case to protect public interest”.

Earlier, PPC chairperson Tan Cheng Liang reportedly said the authorities had discovered that it did not involve government funds.

She said that the authorities were unable to trace the person who falsified the claims and claimed that the matter had been only brought up now for political expediency.

Lim said the state was concerned over how the issue had been simply dismissed by the PPC chairperson.

“Rather than trying to shift attention, the PPC, Transport Ministry and Attorney-General's Chambers should be focusing on trying to uncover what took place, who were the persons responsible and take action against these parties,” he added.