No, MACC didn’t raid my office, says Guan Eng

Penang CM also denies reports that his office was temporarily shut yesterday, says it was business as usual.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today denied that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raided his office yesterday.

He also refuted a report by Utusan Online that his office was temporarily shut yesterday, and that several members of the media who had tried to use the lift at level three to reach the 28th floor in Komtar were prevented from doing so.

Lim said his office was never closed, and that he was still carrying out his duties as usual.

He added that he had been in a meeting with Mohamad Sabu and his strategic adviser Saifuddin Nasution Ismail concerning the Mutiara Food Bank between 4pm and 5pm.

“We never closed the chief minister’s office. Work was still going on as usual, and I was having discussions with Mat Sabu and Saifuddin.

“Of course, when we have any discussions, when I meet Mat Sabu and Saifuddin, don’t tell me we want to meet openly. So why say the CM’s office was closed?

“Also, my office was never raided yesterday. I hope you do not try to tarnish the image of the state government and the CM’s office,” he said at a press conference today.

This was after Utusan reported a security guard as saying he had received instructions not to allow anyone to enter the chief minister’s office.

Lim said the reports were clearly an effort to sully the image of the state government ahead of the 14th general election (GE14), and that he would not be surprised if more such reports or efforts occurred.

He also berated several Barisan Nasional media outlets such as the New Straits Times, The Star, Berita Harian and Utusan over their reports on the undersea tunnel project.

Speculation was rife yesterday that Lim would be arrested by MACC in relation to the project.

However, MACC deputy chief commissioner Azam Baki said Lim’s arrest was not necessary.

Azam said MACC officers had gone to Komtar to “retrieve” some additional files related to the project.

He said some 10 people were interviewed at 12 different locations in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, including civil servants and companies involved in the project.

Yesterday, Lim denied claims that the Penang government had allowed a company to “pre-sell” RM3 billion worth of land given as payment for an environmental study.

He said his government had not paid “a single sen” to the company, which won the tender to build the undersea tunnel and three roads in 2013.

He referred to The Star’s report yesterday, claiming that the state government had allowed a “special purpose vehicle” to “pre-sell state land rights worth RM3 billion despite a four-year delay in the construction of roads”.

Lim said the state government had only given two pieces of land to Consortium Zenith – the construction company in charge of the project – as payment for an environmental study for the three major roads component, minus the undersea tunnel. -FMT