KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has classified its investigation into the contentious Automated Enforcement System (AES) as “no further action”, said law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), however, added that the anti-graft body observed governance issues as well as weaknesses with the system’s procedures, and has thus opened a new appraisal and consultation paper into the project.
“An advisory letter containing two recommendations to improve (the AES project) was delivered to the Transport Ministry secretary-general (Datuk Isham Ishak) on July 29,” Wan Junaidi said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday.
Datuk Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena-PH) had earlier questioned whether action had been taken against parties allegedly involved in AES-related misconduct, following the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) early probe into the matter in 2020.
It was reported then that the PAC had decided to conduct proceedings to probe into AES, as well as the Defence Ministry’s land swap deals and the 1BestariNet project, after being briefed by the Governance, Procurement and Finance Investigation Committee (JKSTUPKK).
JKSTUPKK had previously produced a report on AES in 2019 after the project came under the spotlight for its automated speed trap cameras.
Last year, the PAC found that the privatisation of AES was unjustified and led to a government bailout through the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) of two concessionaires totalling RM555 million when the original investment was only RM40 million.
Concessionaires ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd received RM295 million and RM260 million respectively for LTAT to take over the project.
PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh (Ipoh Timur-PH) had labelled the move by LTAT as “overvalued and exorbitant”.
Wong stressed that the implementation of AES through outsourcing was inappropriate as it should have been conducted under the Road Transport Department. – The Vibes, October 7, 2022
