Penang executive councillor Dr Afif Bahardin gave his statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the questionable sale of land by federal agency Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda).

Afif oversees the state health, agriculture and agro-based industries and rural development portfolios.

Accompanying Afif to the MACC Seberang Perai office in Jalan Kampung Jawa at 10.15am today was lawyer-cum-PKR Bukit Tengah assemblyperson Ong Chin Wen.

"I will fully corporate with MACC and provide whatever information I have on the issue as this is a matter of public interest," Afif said when contacted.

"I represent the state government. I hope the MACC will probe the case thorougly, fairly and justly as the people's interests are at stake here," he added.

"This case is important as it concerns bumiputera's housing issue and it comes under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister Department," Afif said.

"Until now, Najib has yet to say anything about the matter," he added.

Afif said Najib should have intervened to prevent such cases from happening, especially when Perda is a federal agency run by an Umno leader and MP Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Tasek Gelugor).

"Selling land belonging to bumiputeras below market value is a traitorous act and must not be condoned, " he said.

"It shows that these Umno leaders have no interest in protecting bumiputera rigts," he added.

MACC had notified Afif of the probe last week following the PKR Seberang Jaya assemblyperson's report lodge in Bukit Mertajam on April 7.

Afif had questioned how plots of land totalling 3.4ha could be sold at RM1.427 million as the Inland Revenue Board had valued the land at RM16.636 million.

He said the discrepancy was RM15.209 million.

In response, Shabudin said the RM15 million loss which Afif was referring to was on acquisition compared with current value and what Perda did.

"The current value of the land is about RM16 million, but Perda only made a profit or sold it at RM1.42 million, so there is a difference of almost RM15 million," Shabudin had said at a press conference in Butterworth last month.

He said a decision was then made to sell the land at RM1.42 million and buy another land in Seberang Perai South with potential to be developed for low-cost and affordable houses at between RM42,000 and RM72,000.