The Port Klang authority did not file any suit to nullify the sales and purchase agreement for the purchase of the piece of land in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, a former senior Transport Ministry official told the High Court.
Cross-examined by former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik’s counsel Wong Kian Kheong yesterday, former chief assistant secretary of the Transport Ministry’s maritime division P. Chandrasekaran said that until he left his position in December 2004, he did not receive any suit from the Port Klang Authority (PKA) to nullify the agreement on grounds of encumbrances or misrepresentation by land owners Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB).
When asked if he was aware that the PKA had taken possession of the 404.6ha land, he said: “No.”
He added that he was also not aware “until today” that the land title had been taken by the PKA.
Chandrasekaran also said that when the memorandum was submitted to the Finance Ministry, it was looked at by the ministry’s special adviser Tan Sri Ali Abul Hassan.
Chandrasekaran agreed with Wong that Ali Abul had carried out a commercial evaluation of the project and he found it commercially viable.
Also called to the witness stand was the ministry’s former secretary-general Datuk Zaharaah Shaari, who told the court that she had not seen any of the documents, including letters and memos, over the purchase of the land for the PKFZ project.
Dr Ling has claimed trial to an amended principal charge of deceiving the Government by not revealing to the Cabinet an additional interest rate of 7.5% annually in the land purchase for the PKFZ project.
He faces two optional charges of cheating the Government by not exposing to the Cabinet facts pertaining to the interest rate, and deceiving it into believing that facts on the land purchase at RM25psf and 7.5% interest were certified and agreed to by the Finance Ministry’s Valuation and Property Services Department when he knew that there was no such consent.
He is said to have committed the offences at the Prime Minis-ter’s office in Putrajaya between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002.
Source : The Star
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