The Selangor sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has suspended the datukship title he had conferred on former transport minister Chan Kong Choy.

NONE In a statement, state secretary Mohammad Khusrin Munawi said the suspension follows the prosecution of Chan under Section 417 of the Penal Code for allegedly cheating the government over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ).

The suspension will be reviewed if Chan is found not guilty ( right ) and is acquitted of the charges against him.

The decision to suspend Chan’s datukship was made after considering that the offenses of which he is accused of are serious and involves the interests of the people and nation, said Khusrin.

NONE Chan was conferred ‘Datuk’ in 2003.

Meanwhile, datukship given to Ekran Bhd’s former executive chairperson Ting Pek Khiing ( below ) in 1996 was announced by Khusrin as being revoked and annulled after he was declared a bankrupt by the Insolvency Department on Oct 29, 2010.

ting pek khiing The revocation - which Khusrin ( above ) said was done after considering Ting’s bankruptcy rendered it ‘inappropriate’ to hold such a title - takes effect from March 24.

In January earlier this year, the Selangor royal palace announced it had suspended the datukship of former menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo after the latter was charged over the matter of two plots of land on which his house - dubbed the ‘Bali mansion’ - now stands.