Dr Ling denies receiving payment from KDSB

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KUALA LUMPUR: Former Transport Minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik told the High Court here yesterday that he had never received any payment from Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.

Dr Ling, 68, who is making his defence on a charge of cheating the government in the PKFZ project, also said he had never had any negotiation with the company.

He said that right from the time the project was proposed, it was handled by his senior officers, comprising former secretary-general Datuk Zaharah Shaari, former deputy secretary-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohd Noor and former principal assistant secretary of the maritime division, P Chandrasekaran.

They all gave suggestions, advise and prepared the minutes of meetings, he added.

On a letter sent by him to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on April 3, 2002, Dr Ling said it was written to expedite the acquisition of a 1,000 acre site and to suggest that it be made through direct purchase from KDSB.

He said all information on the price rate of the land stated in the letter were based on proposals by senior ministers at his ministry after referring the matter to the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH).

According to the court’s record, the letter to Dr Mahathir stated that the land cost RM1,088 billion (including cost of basic infrastructure), based on the price of RM25 per sq ft, and the cost of land development was estimated at RM869 million, which brings the total cost of the project, including interest, to RM2.44 billion.

Dr Ling, who is also the first defence witness, said he did not receive any letter or memo to inform him that the information in the letter, as well as another, dated June 29, 2002, which were sent to Dr Mahathir, was wrong.

He said he would not have sent the letters to Dr Mahathir had he known the information stated was wrong.

Dr Ling, who was transport minister for 17 years from 1986, is charged with cheating the government by not disclosing to the Cabinet an additional interest rate of 7.5 per cent per annum on the purchase price of the land for the PKFZ project, which had been fixed at RM1,088,456,000 by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH), based on RM25 per sq ft (psf), inclusive of the coupon/interest rates.

He also faces two alternative (amended) charges of cheating and intentionally not disclosing to the Cabinet, that the 7.5 per cent per annum was an additional interest rate on the land price.

He is alleged to have committed the offences at the fourth floor of the Prime Minister’s Office, Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya, between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002.

To a question on a letter, dated Oct 5, 2000, from KDSB to Abdul Rahman, Dr Ling said he did not know about the letter.

The hearing before judge Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi continues today. — Bernama