MACC slammed for not probing Johor MB after leak

An opposition MP has asked why the MACC has not investigated the Johor menteri besar over the state's land scandal.

This, said Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, is after a witness statement to the commission leaked this week showed Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin had purportedly been implicated.

"As shocking as the initial news of their investigation was, the biggest shocker is found in the witness statement," said Pua in a statement today.

"MACC has effectively confirmed the authenticity of these documents when its deputy commissioner Azam Baki said yesterday that the documents were sent to the lawyers of one of the defendants in the case.

"Now that the MACC has acknowledged the documents, they will have to explain their failure to investigate the MB, who is similarly implicated according to the witness statement," said Pua.

Yesterday, one of the accused in the graft and money laundering case involving former Johor exco member Abdul Latif Bandi lodged a police report over the leaking of witness statements he had given to MACC as part of their probe.

Since the beginning of the investigations this March, opposition leaders had repeatedly asked why the authorities were not going after Khaled.

Khaled's involvement was also raised at the Johor assembly on Monday.

At the sitting, Senai assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi asked about the truth of the allegation that Khaled had been accused of accepting a sum of money from the developers to convert the status of housing lots from bumiputera to non-bumiputera.

On March 9, MACC arrested Johor rep Abd Latif Bandi, who was exco for housing and local government, under Section 17 of the MACC Act and Section 4 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

This is in relation to a probe concerning housing and land issues.

'Killing the messenger'

Pua noted the leaked statements to MACC made incriminating claims in relation to the menteri besar.

“With such concrete evidence in front of their own noses, why hasn’t the MACC investigated Khaled Nordin?

“Worse, the MACC has decided it was more appropriate to ‘kill the messenger’ by filing a police report over the purported leaks,” said Pua.

He added the Johor state assembly also disgraced itself by allegedly trying to silence the issue by throwing out Wong from the assembly.

The lack of action, he said, was in stark comparison to prompt action taken against opposition figures.

“Is the Johor MB immune to investigations and prosecution just like Prime Minister Najib Razak is, in the case of the multi-billion ringgit scandal, 1MDB?

“What is MACC’s excuse this time?”

The DAP leader said all the companies which have paid the alleged bribes must also be investigated, and if guilty, punished as well.

“After all, the MACC has often opined that the giver of bribes is as guilty as those who receive.”- Mkini