Housing and Local Government Minister Chor Chee Heung has clarified why he was among the first to rush to the home of former MCA president Ling Liong Sik following his shock arrest on Thursday.
The 67-year old Ling was charged for cheating the government over land valuations in the RM12.5billion Port Klang Free Zone financial debacle. Ling, a long-serving former Transport Minister, pleaded not guilty and has claimed trial.
“I called Dr Ling after he returned home from court and visited him at his residence to give his family moral support. I have confidence in him although I am not a judge and I do not know the case well,” The Starreported Chor as saying.
Chor also told reporters Ling said he would face trial no matter what and that “the truth will prevail”.
Chor himself implicated
Chor himself has been widely speculated to be among those who might be hauled up over the scandal, believed to the the biggest financial debacle in Malaysian history.
Although he was chairman of Port Klang Authority, the project overseer, for less than a year from June 2007 to February 2008, he was also Deputy Home Minister at the time when former premier Mahathir Mohamad had held both the Home and Finance ministry portfolios.
Chor was also Deputy Finance Minister before his promotion to full minister earlier this year. A trained lawyer, he served as non-executive deputy director of Wijaya Baru Global Berhad from April 2004 till July 2007.
WBGB is the parent company of Wijaya Baru Sdn. Bhd, the main contractor, for turnkey developer,Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Kuala Dimensi is controlled by Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing.
The PKFZ debacle has been described as a true Malaysian power play of conflict of interests, weak project management and bad governance at the highest levels - allegedly all the way up to Mahathir and his successor Abdullah Badawi, who continued the project after taking over the premiership in 2003.
Among the personalities named in an external auditor's report are two former transport ministers Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik (1986-2003) and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy (2003-March 2008), former Minister of Housing and Local Government Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh, who was also Port Klang Authority chairman (2000-2004), former Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap Pian Hon who was Port Klang Aurhority chairman (2004-2007), Alor Setar Member of Parliament Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung, who was Port Klang Authority chairman (2007-2008), former UMNO treasurer Datuk Seri Azim Mohd Zabidi, the first woman general manager of Port Klang Authority Datin Paduka O.C.Phang and the project "executor" Bintulu Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Umno watchers have told Malaysia Chronicle that more arrests would be made in the coming days involving bigwigs in Selangor Umno and MCA as part of a wider blitz on corruption that will not be limited to just the PKFZ project.
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