IT took awhile, but the Auditor-General (A-G)’s report on failed business ventures by Tourism Malaysia subsidiary Pempena Sdn Bhd is not only a vindication of theSun, which exposed its activities, but an indictment of those responsible for ensuring that public money is managed by competent and trustworthy people.
While the A-G could pinpoint nine instances where Pempena made bad judgment calls or did not conduct prudent business practices, I can vouch that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
This paper had relentlessly pursued the mismanagement of Pempena which has since caused enterprises such Shopping Malaysia Secretariat (SSM), the Malaysian Kitchen project and Executive taxi services, to be losing ventures to the tune of RM50 million.
Which is why no stone must be left unturned in ensuring those who acted so blasé with our money – whether crookedly or negligently – are brought to book.
To this effect, the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should delve into the allegations of 20 sacked Pempena staff of the following alleged irregularities concerning a couple of officials:
» pocketing commissions when refinancing luxury vehicles for high-end tourist taxi service;
» approving contracts to RM2 companies for tourism-based projects;
» overstating the cost of creating an e-tourism website by RM5 million;
» by-passing the board of directors when "investing" in a restaurant project in Australia; and
» the wife of a former director was benefiting from Pempena contracts.
However, it is not enough that we make examples of two or three fall guys. Contrary to what some of the powers-that-be think, Malaysians are a discerning lot who can see through the bull****.
The only ikan bilis we would accept is the kind that accompanies our nasi lemak. So let’s go all the way to the top this time and land some big fish. The buck must stop somewhere and for Pempena to sack a dispatch rider among the 20 laid-off workers as being responsible for Pempena’s losses is laughable and a pathetic attempt at creating the illusion of accountability.
Having said that, it is surprising that in his report, the A-G did not take note of the excessive staffing of the then tourism minister’s office where Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said crammed her office with 20 personnel paid by Pempena when she was only allotted eight under Public Services Department rules.
(These are not the same 20 who were laid off but bag carriers and accessories of the then minister.)
When the RM50 million bad investment story broke, then Pempena executive chairman Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun vowed that action will be taken but was wishy-washy when asked if those responsible will be held accountable.
"I don’t have to answer you now as to the status of our investigations, but I assure you we are taking action to rectify whatever had happened before (our time)," she had said.
However Chew did not keep to her promise having quit Pempena a month after announcing "action".
Throughout theSun’s exposés we had been accused of being personal with the former minister and looking for faults, but now that the A-G himself has spoken, the full force of the law should be allowed to take its course.
And since we are talking about the MACC, one cannot fault Malaysians for being cynical that anything will come out of it. After all, it has been a year since the MACC had embarked on investigations into the excessive staffing, focusing on Pempena affiliates Malaysian Travel Business Sdn Bhd and SD Corp Communications Sdn Bhd, which were asked to put the excess staff on their payroll.
And the outcome of the an internal audit and another by PricewaterhouseCoopers is anyone’s guess.
But it is understood that the noose is tightening around the necks of several officers but as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Here’s to hoping that the conclusion of the Pempena saga will not leave a bitter taste in the mouth!
Terence says justice delayed is justice denied and does not serve the public interest. He is deputy editor special reports & investigations and can be reached atterence@thesundaily.com and followed on twitter @ TerencetheSUN
READ THIS EXCLUSIVE STORY CLICK BELOW
In the verbatim of the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) meeting procedures released yesterday, Ling said his ministry could only “state the fact that we wanted the land.”
However, Ling pointed out that the costing and valuation of the land was determined by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) which was chaired by former prime minister and finance minister,related article HOW MAHATHIR USED HIS 23-year fraud under four Umno MBs TO ENRICHHIS FAMILY AND HIS CRONIES
Dr Mahathir.“Our job in Ministry of Transport is to only state the fact that we want the land. Costings, valuations and all that, it is not the function of the Ministry of Transport. We do not have a Valuation Department.
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MAHATHIRIFICATION OF JUDICIARY LEAD TO BASTARDIZATION OF THE JUDICIARY UNIMPEDED & UNIMPEACHABLE?
1. The video clip was authentic;
2. Lingam was in conversation with Ahmad Fairuz over judicial appointments;
3. There was direct influence by Lingam in the elevation of judges, in particular in the appointment of Ahmad Fairuz as president of the Court of Appeal, with the possible aim of his further appointment as chief justice; and;
4. Lingam had asked tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to involve themselves actively in the appointment of judges, in particular the appointment of Ahmad Fairuz as the Chief Judge of Malaya and subsequently, president of the Court of Appeal.
The commission identified six people to be investigated under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1961, the Sedition Act 1961, the Legal Profession Act 1976, the Official Secrets Act 1972 and the Penal Code.
They are former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Lingam, Tan, Umno secretarygeneral Tengku Adnan, Eusoff Chin and Ahmad Fairuz.
This Monday, lawyer Rosli Dahlan will, again, be in court to face trial for allegedly not responding to an ACA (now MACC) letter. But that is actually not his real crime. If so, then what is? Well, there are actually two parts to this story. One involves ensuring that Musa Hassan gets to stay on as Malaysia’s IGP. The second involves hiding the fact that MAS has lost billions in taxpayers’ money. Let us recap what Malaysia Today wrote awhile back.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
On 7 July 2009, Malaysia Today published ‘The Untold MAS Story: part 1’ (parts 2-8 can be read at the links below). And this was what we wrote then:
In 1994, when Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli took control of MAS through his company, Naluri Berhad, Malaysia’s national airline had a cash reserve in excess of RM600 million. Seven years later, in 2001, when the government bought back MAS for the same price that Tajudin paid, the national airline had accumulated losses in excess of RM8 billion.
What happened to the RM600 million in cash? How did MAS lose as much as RM8 billion over just seven years after showing a profit before that? And why did the government buy back an almost bankrupt airline for the same price that it was sold to Tajudin?
We are talking about a plus of RM600 million down to a minus RM8 billion. Yet there was no discount on the share price. Tajudin got back every cent he paid after ‘bleeding’ the national airline to the tune of almost RM9 billion.
One man decided to launch an investigation into the affairs of MAS to get to the bottom of the whole thing. This man is Datuk Ramli Bin Yusuff, the Director of the Commercial Crime Division (CCD). And this man is now on trial after getting arrested for allegedly abusing his authority and for not declaring his assets.
The basis for launching the investigation was because MAS had earlier made two police reports. The police reports are Dang Wangi Report No. 347/02 dated 4 January 2002 and Dang Wangi Report No. 12532/05 dated 4 May 2005.
The police investigation revealed that MAS had been the victim of fraudulent transactions, breaches of fiduciary duties, and breaches of various statutory duties. And the people guilty of these crimes are Tajudin, his business associates, as well as his family members.
But it was not Tajudin who was arrested and charged for fraud and abuse of power. Instead, Ramli, the head of the CCD, was arrested and charged for abuse of power and for not declaring his assets.
Even before the investigation against Ramli could be launched to establish whether he really did commit any crime as alleged, the Anti-Corruption Agency leaked information to the media that Ramli is guilty of not declaring RM27 million in assets.
Corruption investigations and information related to it come under the Official Secrets Act. How, therefore, could this information be made public when the investigation was still ongoing and nothing had been established yet? It was not known yet whether Ramli had really committed any crime and if so whether the assets he was alleged to have not declared does come to RM27 million. Nevertheless, the details of the investigation were made public as if he had already been proven guilty.
Ramli then engaged a lawyer, Rosli Dahlan (picture above), to handle his case and the lawyer submitted a set of accounts to prove that not only does Ramli’s assets not come to RM27 million but also that he had properly declared everything he owns. Furthermore, all his assets had been acquired in the proper and legal way and not through fraud or corruption.
And that was when they also arrested and charged the lawyer for allegedly also not declaring his assets.
Why do they want to shut the lid on the MAS investigation? Why does the government wish to protect Tajudin? Is it maybe because it is not Tajudin who is behind the shady dealings but that he is merely acting as the nominee or front man for those who walk in the corridors of power?
There is more in this series of revelations about how the police officer ends up behind bars while the criminal with links to Putrajaya walks free with billions in his pocket. In the next episode (parts 2-8 below), Malaysia Today will show the confidential reports related to the police investigation.
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