‘I was unaware of land sale to Umech’ Ramasamy tells court

FORMER Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy told the High Court that he was unaware of any land sale to Umech Construction Sdn Bhd.

"I was not a party to any approval given for the sale of (industrial) land to Umech at the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) board or sub-committee meetings," he said.

He said he disagreed with counsel K. Simon Murali that he was caught unaware of such approval because he didn't attend all the meetings.

The former leader, who quit DAP last year, is likely the first former deputy chief minister to testify in a libel suit brought by a Chief Minister - Chow Kon Yeow.

Ramasamy also told Justice Quay Chew Soon that he had quit DAP because the party had gone in a direction he didn't subscribe to.

He said he did not quit DAP because he was not allowed to contest in last year's state election.

Rather, he felt that DAP had gone against his principles and that it was the main reason why he quit the party after serving 18 years with them, including some 15 years as the Penang deputy chief minister.

Earlier, tycoon and lifetime adviser to the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce Tan Sri Tan Kok Pin denied in court that he had deliberately tried to humiliate Chow during a press conference last year.

Chow had filed a defamation suit against the prominent businessman and Chinese community leader for allegedly calling him incompetent, ignorant, and shameless last year over the aborted land sale with Umech.

The deal was later aborted by PDC after Umech sold part of its company to the Sunway Group just days after winning the tender for the project to develop the Batu Kawan Industrial Park II.

In his earlier testimony, Chow denied suggestions by Tan's counsels that a conflict of interest arose when Sunway Group acquired a significant stake in Umech Land just before the land sale agreement was finalised.

Chow is also the chairman of the PDC board.

Chow is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages from Tan for defamation.

Chow was represented by Murali and Kok Yuen Lin while Kek Boon Wei and Lee Wen Qian appeared for Tan together with K. Kuribakaran. - September 24, 2024