MACC panel: Keep probing sand mining scandal

The MACC operations review panel wants the commission and AG to dig deeper into the scandal.

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: A high-powered Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) panel recommended that the commission and the Attorney-General’s Chambers continue probing into the alleged corruption and sand theft syndicate in Selangor.

MACC Operations Review Panel (PPO) chairman Hadenan Abdul Jalil stressed today that the case was never closed but recently re-emerged when controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin wrote about it.

“On the case of Sri Muda state assemblyman Mat Suhaimi Shafiei and Batu Caves state assemblyman Amirudin Shaari, MACC had investigated this case.

“We have agreed that the case of these two Ybs should be looked at again by the MACC legal and prosecution division and investigations department. There are a few items that need to be thoroughly re-looked at,” Hadenan, a former auditor-general, said.

“We don’t agree that this case be closed,” he added.

However, his statement contradicted a previous MACC statement that the commission had actually completed investigations and the A-G had returned the investigation papers and recommended that no further action be taken.

When this was pointed out Hadenan appeared to be unaware of the matter.

“What news report is that? I don’t think it was ever closed. Maybe there was a misquote somewhere,” he said.

“No no… the case has been ongoing, just that RPK made it very lively again. We just feel that there is more to be done. So we re-study it. Until the PPO say the case is closed. Even the AG has to ‘follow’ the decision of the PPO,” he said.

RPK named thw two reps

Previously, FMT quoted a MACC statement and reported that the case had been closed by the A-G and was marked “NFA”.

The PPO is an independent group formed by several people appointed by the government to re-study and review the decision of the A-G. The PPO members are specialists and professionals appointed by the prime minister.

On Feb 9, Raja Petra implicated the two Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen in the sand mining scandal in Selangor.

In an article published on his Malaysia Today news portal, Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin were named as the duo who allegedly colluded with a well-heeled contractor with regard to sand mining operations in the state.

The contractor was said to have forked out cash assistance to Mat Suhaimi for his programmes while Amirudin had provided a supporting letter to Double Dignity Sdn Bhd, the sand mining company belonging to the contractor.

Raja Petra also published the transcripts of alleged taped telephone conversations between Mat Suhaimi and the contractor.

Both Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin denied any involvement in the sand mining scandal and claimed that the MACC had cleared them.

Case againt Nik Aziz’s son-in-law closed
Meanwhile, Hadenan also revealed that MACC had conducted massive operations on the sand mining issue with 43 arrests having been made – 30 of which were personnel from the enforcement agencies and civil service while the remaining 13 coming from the private sector and member of the public. He said bribes between RM500 and RM88,000 had been given and received by these people.

“There have also been cases of sexual bribes to continue the sand theft and smuggling activities,” he said, adding that the government could have lost some RM600 million to the sand theft activities in a year.

In another development, the PPO also recommended that the case of Abdul Arifffahmi Abdul Rahman, the son-in-law of Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who was implicated in alleged improper dealings of state subsidiaries, be closed.

“On Nik Aziz’s son-in-law, this case has been investigated for a long time, and the PPO has agreed with the A-G’s decision that it should be closed due to the lack of evidence,” he said.

During the press conference, Hadenan also said that in 2011, MACC received 13,325 tip offs but  50% of them were not corruption related while 3,458 were poison pen letters.

“We have made a decision that without clear evidence, poison pen letters will be given low priority. In many country surat layang are not given any attention at all, but we still look at it.

In 2011, 1,304 investigation papers were opened and 967 cases have either been closed or solved, many completed within six months. The government also collected a total of RM10 million in fines over convictions of corruption cases. Conviction rate stood at a high of 75%.

Hadenan said the PPO’s annual report would be tabled to the Cabinet in a few months time.