MACC PROBES CITY HALL’S PROCUREMENT DIVISION
It is questioning staff over leak of list of firms awarded tender to clean KL rivers, says Khalid
THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has started questioning those in the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s procurement division about the leak of the list of companies which have secured the tender to clean rivers in Kuala Lumpur.
Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad yesterday said City Hall informed the companies about the river-cleaning contract via telephone calls on Jan 28, without any display of the list in the public domain.
“However, the next day (Jan 29), the list of successful companies went viral.
“Some of those in the procurement division have been summoned by MACC to have their statements recorded.
“This is what I said about ‘invisible hands’ trying to control City Hall.
“They are feeling the heat because of what (the cleansing process) is being done in City Hall.
“I vow to rid City Hall of the invisible hands and be fair to all — old or new contractors — in securing City Hall projects,” he said after a luncheon talk.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said people were being transferred out of City Hall’s procurement division in stages.
“We are transferring about 20 people out of the division in batches within one month,” he said.
However, he did not mentionwhere they were transferred to.
On applications received by City Hall for the river-cleaning project, Nor Hisham said it had received 500 and 30 were chosen after they fulfilled all requirements.
City Hall opened tenders to clean rivers in Kuala Lumpur in July and the closing date was Aug 1.
Khalid said City Hall’s Technical Procurement Committee had shortlisted the companies, but there were questionable elements identified from the said list, including the engagement of companies from outside Kuala Lumpur.
The Procurement Board had said the tenders were only for companies with Kuala Lumpur addresses.
“Another dubious element is that companies which have secured other tenders are chosen when the Procurement Board has stated that such companies should not be picked,” said Khalid.
He said he had raised the matter at the ministry’s post-cabinet meeting.