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I will re-visit ACA in Putrajaya on Monday to find out why it has changed its stand in a matter of hours on the outcome of ACA investigations into my six-year report on Ling Liong Sik and Hee Leong on the latter’s RM1.2 billion corporate acquisition in a matter of months when only 27 years old

Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang

(Petaling Jaya,  Thursday): I will re-visit the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in Putrajaya on Monday (August 4, 2003)  to find out why it has changed its stand in a matter of hours on the outcome of ACA investigations into my six-year report on Ling Liong Sik and Hee Leong on the latter’s RM1.2 billion corporate acquisition in a matter of months when only 27 years old. 

Yesterday, I was informed by the ACA Deputy Director of Investigations, Ahmad Mandus and the head of the ACA general investigations section, R. Rathakirishnan in Putrajaya that the ACA had completed and closed its investigations more than six months ago last year  on my June 1997 report on Liong Sik and Hee Leong, on the latter’s corporate acquisition exceeding RM1.2 billion in a matter of months at the age of 27 and whether there had been improper use and influence of his father’s political and Ministerial position, as no offence had been disclosed. 

As for my second report in June last year arising from Soh Chee Wen’s interview with Malaysiakini in May 2002 whether Liong Sik had committed an offence of obstructing ACA investigations, I was told that investigations were being completed. 

When I asked how the ACA could have closed investigations into my six-year report on the ground that “no offence disclosed” when the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Douglas Unggah Emas had given a reply to the DAP MP for Seputeh, Teresa Kok in Parliament in March this year that various outstanding police and ACA reports against Liong Sik were still ongoing, both ACA officers expressed surprise and said they did not know that  there was such a parliamentary reply only four months ago. 

After my meeting with the ACA, I had told the waiting press outside ACA in Putrajaya my dissatisfaction with the outcome of the ACA investigations  into my six-year report and the need for the ACA to give satisfactory and convincing accounting to protect its credibility for closing its investigations into my June 1997 report on two main grounds: 

  • The parliamentary reply by Douglas Unggah on March 17, 2003 on “ongoing” ACA investigations which contradicted what I had been told by the ACA that it had closed its investigations into Liong Sik arising from my June 1997 report “more than six months ago last year”; and
  • How could the ACA close and complete its investigations into my first report on Liong Sik and Hee Leong when it had not completed its investigations into my second report on June last year, as both were inter-related, the latter arising from Soh Chee Wen’s interview with Malaysiakini on May 28, 2002 that Liong Sik had asked him (Soh) “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”.

As I told the press yesterday, there was a case for Douglas Unggah to be referred to the Committee of Privileges in Parliament for giving a false and misleading parliamentary answer to Teresa Kok if what the ACA officers told me were true – and DAP MPs were going to meet to decide on whether to refer Douglas Unggah to the Committee of Privileges. 

It has come as a total surprise that the ACA had subsequently and completely changed its stand in a matter of hours on the outcome of the ACA investigations into my six-year report on Liong Sik and Hee Leong, as reflected in the Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian reports today. 

Utusan Malaysia in a front-page report, entitled “BPR masih kumpul bukti kes anak Liong Sik”  said: 

“Putrajaya 30 Julai – Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) masih mengumpul bukti mengenai Ling Hee Leong yang didakwa memiliki saham korporat bernilai lebih RM1.2 billion menggunakan pengaruh bapa-nya, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik. 

“Pengarah Siasatan BPR, Datuk Nordin Ismail berkata, pihaknya telah membuka semula kes itu tahun lalu selepas Pengerusi DAP, Lim Kit Siang, membuat laporan kedua mengenai dakwaan yang sama di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Dang Wangi pada 2002.” 

Berita Harian, under the headline “BPR masih siasat Dr. Ling, anak” said: 

PUTRAJAYA: Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) masih meneruskan siasatan dan mengumpulkan bukti kes membabitkan bekas Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik dan anak lelakinya, Ling Hee Leong berhubung pengambilalihan korporat bernilai lebih RM1.2 bilion. 
Pengarah Siasatan BPR, Datuk Nordin Ismail berkata, pihaknya masih meneruskan siasatan dan menafikan dakwaan Pengerusi DAP, Lim Kit Siang kononnya agensi itu sudah menutup kes berkenaan.

BPR juga sudah mengambil kenyataan kali kedua daripada Lim semalam, selain keterangan seorang ahli perniagaan, Datuk Soh Chee Wen selepas fail itu dibuka semula tahun lalu.

“Kes berkenaan tidak ditutup kerana fail siasatan dibuka semula Jun tahun lalu,” katanya mengulas kenyataan Lim yang mendakwa kononnya kes ditutup tahun lalu apabila siasatan BPR tidak menemui sebarang kesalahan untuk disabitkan terhadap Dr Ling dan anaknya selepas siasatan bermula pada 1997. 

Lim membuat kenyataan itu selepas bertemu Timbalan Pengarah Siasatan BPR, Ahmad Mandus dan Ketua Unit Siasatan Am BPR, R Rathakirishnan di Ibu Pejabat BPR di sini, semalam.

Lim mendakwa beliau dimaklumkan pegawai BPR berkenaan bahawa kes itu sudah ditutup sejak tahun lalu kerana siasatan tidak menemui sebarang kesalahan berhubung perkara itu.

Pengerusi DAP itu bersama beberapa pemimpin parti mengadakan perjumpaan dengan pegawai BPR untuk mendapatkan perkembangan kes rasuah yang dilaporkan kepada badan itu beberapa tahun lalu.

Nordin juga menjelaskan selepas laporan pertama dibuat pada 1997, pihaknya menjalankan siasatan dengan mengambil keterangan saksi terbabit. Selepas itu, kertas siasatan dihantar kepada Peguam Kanan Persekutuan untuk tindakan lanjut. Bagaimanapun, oleh kerana tidak cukup keterangan, kes tidak dapat diteruskan.

“Tetapi, selepas Lim sekali lagi membuat laporan Jun tahun lalu, kami membuka semula fail apabila mendapati ada bukti baru,” katanya.

Pada 1997, Lim (ketika itu Setiausaha Agung DAP) membuat laporan BPR berhubung pengambilalihan korporat bernilai RM1.2 bilion.

DAP yang mempersoalkan pengambilalihan itu, meminta siasatan penuh dilakukan terutama bagaimana anak Dr Ling boleh mengumpul harta sebanyak itu walaupun baru berusia 27 tahun.

Pada Jun tahun lalu, Lim sekali membuat laporan terhadap Dr Ling kerana dikatakan cuba menghalang siasatan kes rasuah anaknya.

Lim membuat membuat laporan itu berdasarkan artikel yang ditulis Soh pada 1998 menerusi berita portal mengenai permintaan Dr Ling supaya Soh tidak membabitkannya dalam siasatan BPR terhadap Hee Liong. 

These versions in Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian are totally at variance from what I had been told by Ahmad Mandus and Rathakirishnan yesterday with regard to the outcome of my first six-year report to the ACA on Liong Sik and Hee Leong. 

Yesterday was the first time I met Ahmad Mandus and Rathakirishnan and I find them to be responsible and professional officers who have no reason to mislead me. I will re-visit the ACA in Putrajaya on Monday and hope that the ACA Director-General, Datuk Zulkipli Mat Noor or Nordin could enlighten the reasons for the change of ACA stand on my six-year report in a matter of hours. 

In the re-visit to the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya on Monday, DAP will also present memorandum on the ACA and corruption in Malaysia.

(31/7/2003)

* Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman