The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has sought the help of Negeri Sembilan state secretariat (SUK) office to investigate the dispute over the land deal in Kampung Serampang Indah, formerly known as Gatco Estate, in Jempol.

MACC sources said the SUK office is now helping the MACC to locate the relevant documents.

Four MACC officials were seen to have entered the Wisma Negeri and went straight to the local government unit of the SUK office at the fourth floor of the building, at 10.45am today and left two hours later.

MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad said last Sunday that the commission would set up a task force to investigate the report concerning the land deal, and study all the documents enclosed in the report lodged by Gatco Settlers Action Committee.

However, he said the investigation would take some time as the land deal took place about 40 years ago.

If there was a case, the MACC would take the next cause of action to give justice to the residents, he said after meeting and listening to the problems faced by the villagers, after the report was lodged last Wednesday.

The action committee, among others, claimed that there were elements of misappropriation in the sale of the land to Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd in 2007, since the company only paid RM16 million when the market price was around RM500 million.

The 2,000ha Gatco estate was previously a sugarcane plantation owned Syarikat Gula Negeri Sembilan and following the closure of the company, the land was leased to the Negeri Sembilan State Development Corporation (PKNNS) for 99 years.

In 1977, PKNNS leased the land to The Great Allonioners Trading Corporation Bhd (Gatco) for 66 years. Gatco then turned the area into a land scheme and brought in settlers who were offered a price between RM4,000 and RM7,000 to own their respective housing site and a four hectare plantation.

Initially, Gatco planned to develop the area into a rubber plantation, but due to financial constraints, the land, which was mortgaged to the bank, was taken over by Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Bhd, and at a public auction in 2007, it was bought by Thamarai Holdings.

- Bernama