Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) enforcement director Kapten (Rtd) Abdul Kudus Ahmad has been sacked with immediate effect for making a false declaration regarding his bankruptcy status.

Announcing this today, Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo said Abdul Kudus made the declaration during his appointment by stating that he was free from debts and had no liabilities on promisory notes either as a lender or borrower.

He said, on the date of Abdul Kudus' appointment on Jan 15 2001, he had been declared a bankrupt by the Kuala Lumpur High Court for failure to settle debts with two banks, namely Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad involving RM12,533.45 and Arab Malaysian Finance Berhad involving RM12,463.96.

The MPAJ disciplinary board had proposed that Abdul Kudus' service be terminated immediately according to the terms of his contract for making a false declaration in the declaration letter, he told a press conference today.

Tipping off 'tonto'

According to a Bernama report, Mohd Khir said Abdul Kudus was not allowed to appeal as it was a very serious offence.

Abdul Kudus had been suspended for a month from June 4 to facilitate an internal investigation into allegations that he had received bribes for leaking information on impending council raids.

The investigation was conducted following Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister M.Kayveas' claim that he had proof that Abdul Kudus was receiving RM70,000 a month for tipping off "tonto" on impending raids.

On the allegations of corruption and misconduct against Abdul Kudus, the menteri besar said the MPAJ would turn over its findings and the relevant documents to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) for further investigation.

"We will provide the information from our investigation to the ACA. Let the ACA take the appropriate action," Mohd Khir added.

No bad reflection

Meanwhile, MPAJ president Ahmad Kabit said he accepted the decision of the disciplinary board and the state government to sack Abdul Kudus.

However, Ahmad said he didn't feel that the decision would reflect badly on him as the council president.

"I don't feel that way. If an offence has been committed, we have to take action," he said adding that MPAJ was always careful in appointing council members to ensure that the appointments adhered to procedure.

However, false declarations like in Abdul Kudus' case were beyond his control, he added.