PARLIAMENT | The developer of the controversial Paloh army camp was instructed to purchase the land and begin construction even before an agreement was inked, according to a summary report on Defence Ministry land swaps.
The final report of the Governance, Procurement and Finance Investigating Committee's probe into the ministry, which was tabled in the Dewan Negara today, also implicates an aide to the then-defence minister.
"In the Paloh camp, a memorandum from the political secretary of the (then) defence minister clearly stated that priority must be given to the construction of the camp for political interests in the Sembrong parliamentary constituency.
"This resulted in an instruction letter issued to the company (developer) to purchase the land and begin construction without any contract being signed," read the report.
Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein is the former defence minister.
Earlier, Hishammuddin's successor Mohamad Sabu sarcastically praised the "efficiency" of the construction when tabling the report.
"Although the contract was not inked, the previous administration had instructed the company to acquire the land," the minister said, adding that it claimed to have spent RM85 million on construction.
"The (previous) government risked suffering a loss (in the constituency) if the construction could not continue."
Johor DAP first raised concerns about the Paloh army camp in 2017, claiming that it was being built for political purposes.
Beside Paloh, the summary report also concluded that army camps in Bera, Segamat, and Hutan Melintang were built with the intention of moving in army voters ahead of the 14th general election.
[More to follow] - Mkini
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