KOTA KINABALU: Anti-corruption officers today visited the Labuan Liberty Port Management (LLPM) office and scheduled a meeting with the Labuan Port Authority chairman, signalling a probe is underway into the alleged “conspiracy” related to Labuan Port’s tender process.
Sources confirmed to FMT that several Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers were seen entering the LLPM office at the Liberty Port storage area around 9.30am.
A meeting is also believed to have been scheduled by the MACC officers with Labuan Port Authority chairman Chan Foong Hin, who is also the Kota Kinabalu MP, later today, a source said.
“A meeting was held between the MACC officers and LLPM officials. The company’s general manager Abd Ghani Paijan was also present,” the source said.
Ghani, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment.
On Dec 17 last year, LLPM, the operator of the Labuan Liberty Wharf container port since 1988, lodged a report with the MACC on alleged conspiracy in the port tender decision-making process.
The MACC report was made by the company some three days after a Sabah daily reported that LLPM would be replaced by a Kuala Lumpur-based operator.
It also lodged a report that the result of the tender process had been leaked even though it had not been officially announced by the Labuan Port Authority.
Ghani had said they were not pointing fingers at any party but just wanted a fair investigation by MACC.
The leaked tender result, which had gone viral, had created confusion and panic among the company’s management, staff, business clients and port users, he had said after lodging the reports.
Labuan Port Authority has denied the claims.
On Dec 30, Labuan MACC referred the LLPM report to the commission’s headquarters for further instructions.
A picket was also held by around 100 LLPM staff, but later the group of workers claimed they were duped by their employer into voicing their objections against the new operator.
A Bernama report on Jan 19 had suggested that LLPM would be replaced for making the MACC report and Chan said a letter of termination of land lease had already been given to LLPM on Jan 18.
Chan was also reported as saying that LLPM would cease operations by the third week of March.
He added that a new firm from outside of Labuan would be taking over LLPM’s role after the Lunar New Year. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.