The MACC has dismissed a report claiming that it did not take any steps towards investigating the solar hybrid project meant to power 369 rural schools in Sarawak.
The commission said that the report in a local news outlet is untrue, pointing out that it initiated its investigation even before the recent general election.
"MACC would like to inform that it had taken proactive action by conducting a preliminary investigation on the issue in early April 2018, which was prior the general election, after receiving a tipoff from the public," it said in a statement today.
Documents linked to the project, the commission added, have been seized from the Education Ministry in accordance with the MACC Act 2009, and will be scrutinised to see if there are elements of graft involved.
It also urged the public to be patient until it completes its investigations into the matter.
Sarawak Report had revealed yesterday that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak bypassed the Education Ministry’s procurement guidelines and awarded the project to a car rental company through a direct tender in January last year.
It also noted that not a single solar power unit had been installed so far.
Malaysiakini also reported on the same matter, having sighted the documents related to this project.
It was also revealed through the documents that the company altered parts of the original contract without the ministry’s permission.
A Works Department engineer who discovered these discrepancies claimed to have been transferred out of the Education Ministry for reporting the matter to the PMO’s Public Complaints Bureau.
The company involved, Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, today denied any wrongdoing in the matter, though it did concede that it secured the contract through direct negotiations with the previous administration.
Managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin also stressed the actual cost of the project was RM750 million, and not the cited RM1.25 billion, and that Jepak Holdings have not received any payment related to the project.
Meanwhile, MACC deputy chief commissioner of operations Azam Baki stressed that there has been no pressure from any party to disrupt the investigation.
“We also did not receive information that the ministry staff who raised concerns on the project was transferred,” he told Malaysiakini. -Mkini
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