By Simon Peter
KUCHING, May 13, 2015 - A Sarawak assistant minister and a State Assemblyman are under
investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for possible abuse of
power and corruption.
The Assistant Minister is being investigated for alleged corruption
and abuse of power in a RM250 million construction of Baitulmakmur 11 project
in Petra Jaya, here while the State Assemblyman is being investigated for
alleged involvement in illegal logging and illegal timber trade.
Several banks accounts belonging to the assistant
minister, totalling RM4 million, have
been frozen.
Logs being ferried along Bakun Road. It is not sure whether the logs were illegally felled by timber thieves.
“MACC has received
a complaint involving allegation that there was corruption and abuse of power
involving a construction contract of the 16-floor Baitul Makmur II building
costing over RM250 million,” its director of investigation Jamidan Abdullah
said in a statement.
He said MACC has taken the statement of the assistant
minister and a director of the company involved in the project.
It is believed that the investigation into the alleged
abuse of power and corruption started when a PKR member Ramlee Mahtar lodged a report with
MACC in September 2013.
Ramlee alleged that there could be a possible abuse of
public office and mismanagement of the Baitulmal Board funds, chaired by
Assistant Minister for Islamic Affairs Daud Abdul Rahman, in the project.
Meanwhile, MACC also frozen the assets of a State Assemblyman
this morning for his possible involvement in illegal logging.
Jamidan said the assets of the assemblyman were among the
RM600 million in 400 bank accounts being frozen suspecting to be derived from
illegal logging.
In providing
updates on the second day of its massive crackdown on Sarawak's illegal timber
trade, Jamidan said MACC had increased
its freeze yesterday on over RM560 million in over 370 bank accounts.
"Thirty more
accounts of companies and individuals including a state assemblyman was frozen,
making the total of accounts frozen so far RM600 million," Jamidan said in
a statement.
He said the MACC seized an additional 1,200 logs, including 600
from Bakun in Belaga area.
This is on top of the MACC's confiscation yesterday of
500 logs as the result of a statewide raid in 48 locations that involved at
least 400 enforcement officers.
He said that MACC , together with the State Forest
Department, police and and Inland Revenue Board, expanded the crackdown today
to a wider areas.
Statements of timber
mill owners and supervisors have also been recorded.
"As many as 10 individuals have also recorded their
statements to aid investigations of bribery, illegal logging and felling of
timber and tax evasion by owners of logging companies in timber mills in
Sarawak."
Further investigations will be carried out under the MACC
Act 2009’s Sections 17(a) and 17(b), as well as Section 4 of the Anti-Money
Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, he said.
The raid codenamed “Ops Gergaji” is an integrated led by
the MACC to tackle bribery, illegal logging and tax evasion that was believed
to have caused billions of ringgit in losses to the state government.
Jamidan said the
operation is "very challenging because it involved ambushes in interior
areas that have no access points except by use of helicopters and boats."
Menteri Muda Sarawak Disiasat Berhubung Dakwaan Rasuah
Dan Salah Guna Kuasa
1.
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) telah menerima satu aduan
berhubung dakwaan berlakunya perbuatan rasuah dan penyalahgunaan kuasa
melibatkan kontrak pembinaan bangunan 16 tingkat Baitul Makmur II bernilai lebih RM250 juta.
2. Bagi
maksud menyiasat dakwaan ini, keterangan seorang anggota pentadbiran yang
merupakan Menteri Muda Sarawak telah diambil. Turut diambil keterangan ialah
seorang ahli perniagaan berusia dalam lingkungan 50-an, yang merupakan pengarah
syarikat yang terlibat dalam projek pembinaan bangunan milik Kerajaan Negeri
Sarawak tersebut. Selain mereka, beberapa pihak lain juga akan dipanggil untuk
diambil keterangan.
3.
Berikutan siasatan ini, beberapa akaun bank bernilai RM 4 juta milik
Menteri Muda tersebut telah dibekukan.
Ops Gergaji :
1,200 Batang Kayu Balak Lagi Disita
1.
Operasi bersepadu Ops Gergaji yang dilancarkan semalam (12 Mei 2015)
masih giat diteruskan. Setakat hari ini, sebanyak 49 lokasi telah diserbu,
termasuk tambahan satu lokasi iaitu di Bakun, pada hari ini.
2.
Seramai 10 orang individu juga telah dirakam percakapan bagi membantu
siasatan berhubung perbuatan rasuah, aktiviti pembalakan dan penebangan hutan
secara haram serta perbuatan mengelak cukai kepada kerajaan oleh pemilik
syarikat-syarikat pembalakan dan kilang papan di Sarawak. Mereka yang diambil
keterangan ini terdiri daripada pemilik kilang papan dan penyelia kilang.
3. Tiga
puluh lagi akaun syarikat-syarikat dan individu termasuk seorang Ahli Dewan
Undangan Negeri (ADUN) telah dibekukan menjadikan jumlah keseluruhan akaun yang
telah dibekukan setakat ini ialah sebanyak RM600 juta. Dalam pada itu,
hampir 1,200 lagi batang kayu balak juga
telah disita termasuk 600 batang di kawasan Belaga, Bakun oleh pihak SPRM.
Semalam 500 batang balak disita. Siasatan lanjut akan dijalankan di bawah
seksyen 17(a) dan 17(b) Akta Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia 2009 serta
seksyen 4(1) Akta Pencegahan Pengubahan Wang Haram, Pencegahan Pembiayaan
Keganasan dan Hasil Daripada Aktiviti Haram 2001.
4. Ops
Gergaji ini adalah merupakan satu operasi bersepadu terbesar yang pernah
dijalankan oleh SPRM dengan kerjasama Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak, Polis Diraja
Malaysia termasuklah Pasukan Gerakan Am, Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Sarawak dan
Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri. Operasi yang melibatkan kerahan lebih 400 anggota
dan pegawai daripada pelbagai agensi ini adalah satu operasi yang sangat
mencabar kerana ia melibatkan serbuan di kawasan-kawasan pendalaman yang tidak
mempunyai akses masuk kecuali dengan menggunakan helikopter dan bot.
5. Ops
Gergaji ini akan diteruskan dengan lebih menyeluruh bagi membanteras kegiatan
rasuah serta pembalakan dan penebangan hutan secara haram di Sarawak.
DATO’ MOHAMAD JAMIDAN BIN ABDULLAH
PENGARAH BAHAGIAN SIASATAN
SURUHANJAYA PENCEGAHAN RASUAH MALAYSIA
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