The Transport Ministry has expressed concern over an alleged weight-cheating in air cargo transport, following a police report lodged by a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) employee o­n Monday.

Contacted yesterday, the ministry's parliamentary secretary Donald Lim (photo) said he had instructed his ministry and MAS to initiate investigations.

Lim said he has also received a memorandum from DAP member of Parliament Teresa Kok o­n this in Parliament last week.

'Too early to say'

The police report alleged that a Dhaka-based freight company, Silkways Cargo Services Ltd, with the help of two MAS officers, had committed fraud by under-declaring the weight of cargo transported by the airline.

Silkways is co-owned by Shah Alam MP and Parliament Backbenchers Club chairperson Mohd Zin Mohamed (photo)

Lim said he had ordered for an investigation report to be done after a probe by the ministry's civil aviation department.

"It's too early for me to say anything now," he said.

Lim said he had also issued the directive to MAS when he handed over the memorandum and documents provided by Kok to the airline's management.

On Thursday, malaysiakini reported MAS corporate services senior general manager Dr Mohamadon Abdullah as denying the allegations in the police report.

At the end of a o­ne-day probe, Mohamadon found the allegations to be "not true and malicious", charging the police report to be politically motivated.

Told of this, Lim said he had yet to receive feedback from MAS.

"The Transport Ministry will o­nly look into the technical matters of MAS. Anything about the alleged financial loss or corrupt practices would fall under the responsibility of the Finance Ministry," he said.

Kok earlier told reporters that the same memorandum had also been handed over to the Finance Ministry. Officials in the ministry could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Asked whether the ministry will call Silkways co-owner Mohd Zin for investigation purposes, Lim replied: "Let the professionals handle it. If the police feel they need to call Mohd Zin, they will do it."

According to Lim, this was the first police report and complaint received by the ministry over weight-cheating in MAS. He refused to comment o­n whether this practice was a factor of MAS' successive losses over the past few years.

Come clean

Meanwhile, DAP's Kok in a statement yesterday called o­n MAS to be "honest and transparent" about the matter.

The opposition politician said MAS should disclose the "proof" of no hanky-panky as claimed by Mohamadon.

"Mohamadon should not hesitate to come clean and disclose such proof instead of simply brushing aside the allegations."

She also defended the anonymous whistle-blower, saying: "Why would the MAS employee who lodged the police report risk jeopardising himself by stepping forward?"

Kok also cast doubts o­n the speed of the investigation conducted by Mohamadon, particularly as to whether it was conducted "in a full and frank manner".

She claimed six companies had complained to MAS last July 24 claiming Silkways "was indulging in weight cuts and unnaturally amassing great wealth as a result of such fraudulent practice".

Police could not be reached for comment.

The issue came to light at a press conference called by Kok o­n Tuesday, regarding the police report lodged by the MAS employee.

In the police report, the complainant claimed that the weight-cheating had been occurring since the company was set up in September 2000.

The complainant also alleged that between July 14 and Sept 29, 2001, Silkways had offered inducements worth RM1.1 million to a few MAS officers to enable the company to slip through the under-declaration in weight reporting.

Based o­n rough estimates, MAS is said to have sustained losses amounting to RM3.4 million over the past two years due to the alleged practice.