Businessman Soh Chee Wen today lodged a police report to back the claim by an Austrian investor in January that Transport Minister Dr Ling Liong Sik had previously offered confidential road maps in exchange for alleged business interests.

The report was lodged at 10.30am at the Brickfields district police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. It was the second report alleging that Ling and his son Hee Leong had met the investor, Franz Christoph Heldwein in early 1997 for personal business negotiations in Ling's office at the transport ministry.

In late January, Heldwein lodged a police report against Ling ( left ), Hee Leong and Soh claiming that the trio owed him RM100 million after he sold a controlling stake in a listed company cheap to Ling and Hee Leong with Soh as the middle man.

Heldwein had said the shares were sold at 30 percent below market price as Ling had promised assistance, including the supply of road maps, to help the businessman to market his vehicle tracking device and black boxes for commercial vehicles in Malaysia.

Two witnesses

During a press conference at a hotel in Bandar Sunway this afternoon, Soh claimed that Heldwein's report two months ago was correct, and that there were other witnesses who could prove the meeting took place.

"There were other parties present. We were told that Lee Leck Cheng (Ling's senior confidential secretary) would forward the confidential maps to Heldwein.

"This can be confirmed by BT Chan, a businessman from Penang, who was also present at the meeting...it is up to the police to take the necessary action," he said.

Soh said Ling's actions had "violated certain laws of the land" and therefore the police report this morning was to clarify that he "was not a party to the illegal act of Ling".

The businessman claimed that he did some "soul searching" and decided to "put o­n record the whole episode" in which he was responsible for fixing the appointment for Heldwein to meet Ling.

Lack of action

When asked, Soh said he would like to think that the authorities were doing their job despite the lack of action against Ling since the allegations were first made months ago.

"That I have not been sued by Ling for defamation or anything although I have called him a 'liar' and accused him of telling the public 'rubbish' and 'utter nonsense', says a lot," he said.

Soh was a member of both the MCA central committee and presidential council when he was a protege of Ling, who is the party president, during the mid-1990s.

The duo's relationship soured when their business collaborations were hit severely by the 1997 financial crisis.

Soh left Malaysia in 1999 weeks before he was charged with defrauding a now defunct stockbroking firm of RM490 million. He returned last May to face the charges against him and had from time to time accused Ling of various wrongdoings. The trial is o­ngoing.

Guilty of money politics

On a related matter, Soh said he supported Ling's statement early this month that money politics was creeping into MCA and could become a problem if not dealt with.

He said he knew of at least two MCA senior leaders who were guilty of money politics with o­ne "immorally using public money for his personal expenses and to support his extravagant lifestyle" and the other "using money to buy gifts for delegates to gain their votes".

This happened between 1996 and 1997 and o­ne of the two leaders was holding, and still holds, a government post, he added.

Elaborating, he said the leader who lived an "extravagant lifestyle" had several golf club memberships and was driving cars like Porsche and Mercedes Benz using public money.

He called o­n the party's presidential council to direct the disciplinary committee, headed by veteran member Kam Woon Wah, to investigate his allegations.

"I am still a MCA life member and I have a right to be heard by the committee.

"Ling had said he will not hesitate to refer any party leader or member for disciplinary actions and if the procedures are to be followed as what he had said, I should be referred to the disciplinary committee too," he said.

He said he would even welcome Ling to challenge him to name the two senior party leaders who were allegedly practising money politics.

No vested interests

However, when asked, he stressed that he was not defending MCA Youth chief o­ng Tee Keat ( right ), a staunch critic of Ling, who will face the disciplinary committee next week to answer accusations that he had tarnished the image of the party with his "frequent outbursts and innuendos".

"I have no vested interests in the party anymore and I have no more posts. But the public is intrigued and amused about what's happening in the party and they have the right to know the truth," he said.

To a question as to whether he had practised money politics while holding a party post, Soh replied, "In the era and culture of those times, it was inevitable that those things had to take place."

However, he was quick to add that "when I was in the presidential council, I spoke strongly against money politics which included fund-raising activities at the grassroots level.

"Imagine when a divisional leader raises RM100,000 for a plate of char kueh tiow, he would definitelybe given some kind of government posts even if there are other more deserving and qualified candidates. I've warned the party to be careful about these things," Soh added.