The Star Malaysia

MACC grills KTMB chairman over RM1.4mil cheque

- By JOSEPH KAOS Jr joekaosjr@thestar.com.my

PUTRAJAYA: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) chairman Datuk Rameli Musa was grilled for over five hours by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigat­ors at its headquarte­rs here.

He was being probed over a sum of RM1.4mil which was allegedly paid to Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown to settle a lawsuit between her and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Rameli arrived at the MACC headquarte­rs at 10am yesterday and left at around 3.30pm.

“I gave my statement to the investigat­ors and submitted a document related to the RM1.4mil cheque,” Rameli told reporters without explaining further.

He added that he was unsure if he would be called up by the MACC again.

Also investigat­ed were Selayang PAS chief Mohd Zaidy Abdul Talib and PAS member Mohd Khairol Anwar Mat Zuki, who also came to the headquarte­rs yesterday.

Last week, Rameli was named by PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli as the owner of the bank account which paid RM1.4mil to Rewcastle Brown.

In 2017, Abdul Hadi sued Rewcastle Brown for libel in London over an August 2016 Sarawak Report article alleging that PAS had received RM90mil to guarantee its support for Umno and Barisan Nasional.

Rewcastle Brown filed a countercla­im in October 2017.

On Feb 1, Abdul Hadi and Rewcastle Brown agreed to an out-ofcourt settlement.

However, PAS vehemently denied that any money was paid to settle the case.

In a separate case, three members of a temple committee in Batu Caves have been remanded over an MACC probe into a Kuala Lumpur land deal.

One of the three is a senior member of the committee and carries the title Tan Sri.

Magistrate Nik Muizuddin Nik Muhammad allowed the three to be remanded for three days until March 7 to help the MACC with the investigat­ions.

On Monday, MACC investigat­ors raided the official’s house in Kota Damansara, where they checked some documents and two luxury cars parked at the residence.

The commission also searched the committee’s office in Batu Caves.

MACC sources had said the Tan Sri had been under investigat­ion since last year.

It was reported that a Hindu religious associatio­n had called on the temple committee to come clean over the developmen­t of a parcel of land in Jalan Kuching here that belonged to the committee.

The associatio­n claimed to have received “complaints and shocking informatio­n” related to the land deal.

 ??  ?? Making his exit: Rameli waving to reporters as he leaves theMACC headquarte­rs in Putrajaya.
Making his exit: Rameli waving to reporters as he leaves theMACC headquarte­rs in Putrajaya.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Malaysia