A second report calling for investigation into a multi-million logging scandal involving Umno Pahang was lodged at the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) office in Kuantan by a group of opposition leaders.

The report was lodged by PAS Kuala Pahang Adun Mohd Iqbal Hamdy Mohd Rusdi yesterday afternoon on behalf of Pahang Barisan Alternatif (BA). Five state assembly representatives were present.

Senior enforcement officer Wan Razali Wan Abdullah received the report, a copy of which was made available to malaysiakini .

The first ACA report was lodged by DAP national publicity chief Ronnie Liu at the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya two weeks ago.

Both reports are linked to the logging concession on a huge tract of land believed to be worth tens of millions of ringgit. The concession was awarded in 1998 to Umno Pahang by the state government, then under Menteri Besar Khalil Yaacob (now the information minister).

Main matters

In the latest report, BA Pahang requested the ACA to probe two major issues.

"How could the state forestry department issue the logging licence to Umno Pahang when the land technically belongs to the state government, since the party hasn't paid the land premium," the report asked.

Umno Pahang was required to pay RM4.8 million in land premium before clearing the 10,000-acre land - approximately 40 sq km in size - located at Nenasi, near Pekan, ostensibly for oil palm cultivation.

However, the Pekan district land office head Zainal Rahim Darus later confirmed that Umno Pahang had failed to heed a notice instructing the party to pay up, although four rare extensions were given.

Despite this, 70 percent of the land has since been stripped as revealed by several satellite images obtained recently by malaysiakini .

"How could Umno Pahang tender out the logging concession rights...when they haven't (settled) the land premium?" the report questioned.

BA Pahang cited forestry department procedure in saying that the tender process to log on state land should be done through the department, not Umno as has happened in this case.

"The revenue due to the state government was estimated at RM40 million, but it was collected by Umno, not the state government," the report claimed.

The report was partly based on Pahang MB Adnan Yaacob's denial of the state Umno's involvement in a transaction with logging company Seruan Gemilang Makmur (SGM) Sdn Bhd.

Adnan claimed that he was in the dark over the deal since the land had been approved during his predecessor's tenure. However he also claimed he knew SGM had dealt with "one or two individuals" who allegedly cheated the company through misrepresentation and forgery.

Adnan took over the office from Khalil, a rival party leader, in 1999.

Friday decision

SGM signed the deal with Umno Pahang in 2000 and the company was awarded the exclusive right to fell, extract and sell the logs in the area. The deal was also supported by Umno Pahang officials in several letters and documents.

The deal turned sour last June after the state forestry department refused to renew the company's logging licence, forcing SGM to seek legal redress.

The company, which accused Umno Pahang of breaching the contract, claimed RM31 million in damages. However on July 13 this year, the Kuantan High Court ordered Umno Pahang to pay SGM RM70,000.

Following this, SGM filed an appeal to revise the quantum upwards. Umno Pahang, meanwhile, filed an affidavit claiming that the ruling party was the victim in the deal.

It sought an unspecified amount of counter-compensation. The court will decide on Umno Pahang's application on Friday.

A SGM director Sheikh Mohd Zurid Tok Muda Sheikh Hassan - a former chief of an Umno branch in Pekan - lodged a police report against Adnan over his denial of Umno Pahang's involvement.

The report said Adnan's remark was in contempt of the High Court's ruling that the party should pay the RM70,000 compensation.