KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) has demanded that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigate the Pandora Papers as well as the RM9.4 billion Trans Sabah Gas Pipeline (TSGP) and Multi-Product Pipeline (MPP).
In a statement today, its presidential council urged the anti-graft body to increase its efforts in investigating politicians and corporate leaders who allegedly have offshore accounts and whether the source of their funds there are legitimate.
“It is disappointing if MACC cannot obtain specific information and needs to ask the opposition leader about the Pandora Papers even though he does not have the MACC’s resources or the expertise to investigate this issue,” said the statement.
Jointly signed by opposition leader and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Upko president Datuk Seri Madius Tangau, PH also voiced its surprise over the resurrection of TSGP and MPP, seeing that under the previous PH administration, the billion-ringgit megaproject was scuppered in 2018.
The council pointed out that payment for both projects, which was approved during the reign of Barisan Nasional (BN), was 88% of the development value or RM8.3 billion, even though the audited work progress was only at 13% in May 2018.
It added that the RM9.4 billion has not taken into account the additional costs of hiring experts and land acquisition, totalling RM1.7 billion.
“MACC must investigate why the failed TSGP and MPP were resurrected on February 10, 2021, by Perikatan Nasional under the leadership of former prime minister Tan Sri Mahiaddin Yassin,” said the presidential council. – The Vibes, October 23, 2021
