Former Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairperson Lee Hwa Beng believed that efforts to investigate the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal had been a "waste of time".

This follows the Shah Alam Sessions Court decision to acquit former PKA general-manager OC Phang of criminal breach of trust charges.

"I testified against her for two weeks and the (PKFZ) case went on for about seven years.

"So now, to me in hindsight, it was a waste of time and also a waste of government's money," said Lee.

Lee was a key figure in Putrajaya's probe on PKFZ's cost overruns. The project, owned by PKA, was initially supposed to cost RM1.957 billion in 2001.

By 2006, the project's price tag had rose to RM4.6 billion and was facing financial problems. This led to Putrajaya loaning PKA RM4.632 billion to help fund PKFZ.

Lee was appointed PKA chair by then transport minister Ong Tee Keat in 2008, well after the scandal had became public knowledge.

Under Lee's helm, PKA appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to audit PKFZ.

Civil suit ongoing

The audit revealed mismanagement and estimated that if the repayments to all its creditors were matched with PKA's projected cash flow, the project outlay would cost RM12.5 billion.

Following the audit, Phang was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust while two cabinet ministers - Ling Liong Sik and Chan Kong Choy - were charged, among others, for "cheating" the government.

Both Ling and Chan were eventually acquitted of all charges.

However, PKA's civil suit against Phang over criminal breach of trust is still ongoing.

"The suit was filed by the Port Klang authority during my time as chairperson.

"After many postponement, finally the hearing will kick off in December," said Lee, who added that he will be a witness.

Also read:

All my efforts in PKFZ overturned, decries Ong

Mega-scandal - how we got into the mess.