New Straits Times

MACC RECORDS PENANG EXCO MEMBER'S STATEMENT; DCM RAMASAMY IS NEXT

MACC summoned him as a witness, says lawyer

- MUHAMMAD YUSRI MUZAMIR AND FARIS FUAD

STATE Public Works, Utilities and Transporta­tion Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng was summoned by the Malaysian AntiCorrup­tion Commission (MACC) yesterday to have his statement taken.

Sources said Lim’s presence was to aid MACC’s probe into the proposed RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel project.

Today, Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy will have his statement taken, believed to be on the same issue.

Lim was seen entering the state MACC office in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah here at 9am. The session lasted nearly 12 hours.

His lawyer, R.S.N. Rayer, said Lim was called to have his statement recorded as a witness and not as an accused.

“I have met him two to three times throughout the process, and (I) am satisfied with the treatment given to him (Lim). They (MACC officers) prepared food and drinks for him.

“We have not been told if he will be called again to have his statement taken tomorrow (today).”

In Kuala Lumpur, MACC Deputy Chief Commission­er (operations) Datuk Seri Azam Baki confirmed that Lim was summoned to have his statement recorded to assist in the probe into the matter.

“We will be calling Ramasamy to undergo the same process tomorrow (today).

“We are not ruling out that there may be more arrests as investigat­ion intensifie­s.”

He said MACC should be given space to investigat­e the matter.

“This is a very technical issue and we have a team to look into arising issues.”

Asked if Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and other state executive council members would be summoned to have their statements taken, he declined to comment.

The tunnel project had caused numerous controvers­ies in recent months, especially the high cost of the RM305 million technical studies as well as the 22month delay in completing them.

Investigat­ion also revealed that some politician­s could have received kickbacks, some amounting to millions of ringgit.

To date, four people — one Datuk Seri, two Datuk and a female engineerin­g consultant — have been detained to assist in investigat­ions.

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