KUALA LUMPUR: A PKR member has lodged a police report against Kedah Menteri Besar for alleged abuse of power in awarding a RM1.3 billion development project in Langkawi to a company allegedly owned by a bankrupt.
The Sungai Siput PKR member S. Indrani claimed Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor had abused his position to award the contract to a company allegedly linked to the bankrupt.
She said checks with the Insolvency Department showed that the individual named had not been cleared of the bankruptcy status but ran a construction company.
"The 59 year old who has been bankrupt since 2011 and charged in court six years later allegedly secured a mega project called Open Road International Circuit (ORIC) & Integrated Resorts (IR) worth RM1.3 billion from Sanusi in March.
In March, the company and Permodalan Kedah Bhd (PKB) had inked a joint venture to develop a tourist and motorsports destination, expected to be completed in five years.
A report dated March 31 said ORIC will be developed atop a tract of 183 acres of sea-facing land in Bukit Malut and will encompass a FIA-sanctioned motorsports circuit.
The IR portion will be a fully-integrated resort consisting of luxury residential properties, retail outlets, 5-star hotels, 4S automobile dealerships, 900-cars storage facility, petrol refuelling stations as well as various tourist attractions and restaurants.
Indrani in her police report today raised several questions, among which was whether the individual in the JV with PKB was indeed the same man who was declared bankrupt in 2011.
"If it is the former remisier who had been declared bankrupt, then how was (the company) awarded the RM 1.3 billion project in Langkawi? Is there an element of abuse of power by the Menteri Besar in awarding the projects to (the) company?," Indrani questioned.
She added that Sanusi should clarify the matter publicly.
In her police report, Indrani claimed she received an envelop with the individual's charge sheet, an insolvency report, Mykad copies, a few legal documents related to his bankrupt status and a copy of a RM100,000 cheque written by the company to Lembaga Zakat Kedah.
She said she received the envelop with all the documents on Aug 9 but only opened and learnt about its content the next day.
"The envelop was sent to my house address but it did not have a receiver or sender's name on it.
"At first I was not sure what the documents were but after going through it carefully a couple of times, I managed to piece the puzzle," she said, after lodging a police report at the Puchong Jaya station this evening.
Indrani said she will lodge another report to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission tomorrow.
"I hope the police and MACC will look into this case and get to the bottom of it soon," she said.