Call on Liong Sik to state whether he had asked Soh Chee Wen to make false or misleading statements about their business connections in ACA investigations into  my ACA report of June 1997

(Kuala Lumpur,  Tuesday):  I have today lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi police station against the MCA President and Minister for Transport, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik, asking for police investigations as to whether he had committed an offence under Section 19 of the Anti-Corruption Act as a result of Soh Chee Wen’s interview with Malaysiakini disclosing an offence liable on conviction to the  maximum sentence  of RM100,000 fine or ten years’ jail or both.    

My police report reads:

“Police Report

By Lim Kit Siang,  K/P 410220-01-5063

DAP National Chairman

4^th June 2002

“On 13^th June 1997, I lodged a police report with the Anti-Corruption Agency headquarters, Jalan Duta,  asking for full investigations as to how Ling Hee Leong, son of MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik, could at the age of 27 embark on corporate acquisitions exceeding RM1.2 billion in a matter of months and whether there had been improper use and influence of his father’s political and Ministerial position.

“Last month, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim, called on government enforcement agencies not to sit on “high-profile” cases involving criminal breach of trust (CBT) or elements of cheating as  his ministry had received feedback from the public that 21 cases had been investigated for a long time and had yet to be brought to the courts.

“After the Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said he agreed  that there was some truth to claims made by Rais that government enforcement agencies had sat on high-profile cases involving criminal breach of trust .  He said that some of the things brought up by Rais were based on  facts and he promised to “look into them”.

“I have been asking for the outcome of the ACA investigations into my 1997 report both inside and outside Parliament in the past five years, but all to no avail.

“On Tuesday, 28.5.02, former corporate high-flyer Soh Chee Wen, who recently returned to Malaysia after being a fugitive from law and claims to have intricate and intimate business relationships with Liong Sik and Hee Leong, had an interview with  Malaysiakini report where he referred to the ACA report and investigations.  The Malaysiakini report  states:   

“’ACA probe

”’It was around that time that opposition party DAP lodged a report against Ling with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA).

”’And what was Ling's reaction?

"’He asked me to assist him in not implicating him in the ACA
investigations and to omit stating both Ling and his wife's roles and the benefits derived by them from the previous deals,’ recalled Soh.

”’He said he abided by that request out of ‘fear of losing my posts in MCA’.

“’But, ‘in hindsight, I regret my doing so and I intend to put things right by disclosing the true picture to the ACA in due course’, he said.’

“If Soh was telling the truth, then it discloses Ling committing an offence of obstructing the ACA investigations.  

“Section 19(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 reads:  

“’19(1) Where any person makes or causes any other person to make to an officer of the Agency or to the Public Prosecutor, in the course of such officer or Public Prosecutor exercising any power conferred by this Act, any statement which to the knowledge of the person making the statement, or causing the statement to be made –

(a)   is false, or intended to mislead;

(b)  ….,  

he  shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or to both.’

“This is a police report to ask for investigations as to whether Liong Sik and or others had been guilty of offences under Section 19(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act arising from my police report of 1997”

I hope that this police report will not join the long list of long-standing “high-profile” cases which had gone nowhere, and that the Inspector-General of Police, Tan  Sri Norian Mai will give his personal attention to ensure that  investigations could be concluded within a month. There is no reason why investigations should take any longer as the main protagonists, whether Liong Sik or Chee Wen, are both in the country.  

That apart, I also  call on Liong Sik to state whether he had asked Soh Chee Wen to make false or misleading statements about their business connections in ACA investigations into  my ACA report of June 1997; and if he is not prepared to issue a statement without parliamentary privilege, he should make a Ministerial statement on the matter on the first day of the forthcoming meeting of  Parliament on June 17.

(4/6/2002)