Syabas says can’t pay creditors or replace pipes, despite big bonus RM33.4 million for boss

The Court of Appeal judgement on Tony Pua's appeal against Syabas' defamation suit revealed that Syabas has no funds to replace pipes, or pay its suppliers.

Selangor water supplier Syabas cannot pay its water suppliers and has no funds to replace pipes, its CEO admitted in court documents released today, just after it was revealed last month that its executive chairman Tan Sri Rozali Ismail was paid RM33.4 million in remuneration last year.

The Court of Appeal judgment on Tony Pua's appeal against the High Court ruling on Syabas' defamation suit against the DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP, which was released today, also showed Syabas CEO Datuk Ruslan Hassan as conceding that Putrajaya had never supported the tariff hike proposed by the water concessionaire.

“Syabas is currently facing suits by its water suppliers for non-payment of invoices,” the judgment read.

“Syabas has obtained a loan from the federal government to pay the water treatment operators because Syabas are in financial difficulties...the federal government has never agreed with the tariff increase proposed by Syabas,” it added.

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NFCorp takes aim at news portals, MP over reports on buyout

The company responsible for the scandalised National Feedlot Centre (NFC) plans to sue news portals The Malaysian Insider and Free Malaysia Today along with lawmaker Rafizi Ramli over reports on its takeover by a Japanese-Malaysian venture.

On July 9, The Malaysian Insider reported the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) operated by the spouse of Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil will be taken over by Kirimitonas Agro Sdn Bhd but that the latter will not be assuming the former firm’s liabilities that included a RM250 million federal loan.

Yesterday, NFCorp chairman and Shahrizat’s husband Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail told a news conference that Kirimitonas Agro was putting the RM250 million debt in its books.


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Pos Malaysia rescues 'junked mail'

Pos Malaysia personnel have retrieved the remaining letters dumped into a ravine at Ukay Heights in Ampang.

About 50 workers used several big, white mail bags to gather the letters. Three Pos Malaysia vans were stationed near the area.

A check by The Star at 8.30am yesterday found that the staff first inspected the area before descending the ravine to collect the undelivered letters.

The arduous task was completed two hours after it began.

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Overseas trips for PM cost RM44mil over five years

THE Prime Minister’s office has spent a total of RM44.071mil on overseas trips over the past five years.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim said the sum was recorded between 2008 and May this year.

Shahidan said this in a written reply to Nga Kor Ming (DAP - Taiping) who asked for the Prime Minister’s expenditure for foreign trips over the past five years.

During a press conference at the Parliament lobby, Nga called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to explain the gains of the trips to justify the expenditure.


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USM: Applicants may have failed admission interview

Students with perfect scores but were not offered places in medical courses in Uni­versiti Sains Malaysia could have failed the admission interview, said the apex university’s vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Omar Osman.

He was responding to an allegation by MCA education bureau chairman Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong that there were students with cumulative grade point average of 3.92 and 3.7 who were offered dentistry courses while other top scorers with CGPA of 4.0 were not given any offers.

“We will look into the appeal cases. Special consideration will be given to them if there are places left from other students rejecting their offers,” Prof Omar said, adding that students should appeal directly to USM.

An official from USM confirmed that a student with CGPA of 4.0 was not offered a place in medicine because he only obtained a low band in the Malaysian University English Test.

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Election officer arms PKR’s Rafizi with another dart for EC

PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli said the call by a senior election officer in Sabah to re-register voters was further proof that the electoral system was flawed.

"I want to hear what the Election Commission chairman and his deputy have to say to this," he said.

Rafizi was commenting on the on-going Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah where the state's election director Datuk Md Idrus Ismail, when giving evidence, said the 13 million voters nationwide must be registered again as the electoral roll was tainted.

Rafizi, who is also Pandan MP, said this clearly showed that the organisation and execution of the 13th general election was highly questionable.

"There are many questions being raised on the ballot paper, the ballot boxes and the indelible ink.


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'Opposition has failed to prove polls allegations'

Parties are welcome to challenge election results in court, Najib tells BBC World

KUALA LUMPUR: THE government has nothing to hide about the process and outcome of the May 5 general election in spite of recent pressure mounted by certain quarters about the matter.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in an interview with the BBC World on Tuesday, said the government, under the ruling coalition, was open to reviewing the matter as long as it was done according to the country's legal provisions.

"I wish to maintain the election was free, fair and transparent. And up to today, there have been no real reports that they (the opposition) could substantiate (the) allegations.

"We are prepared to (answer questions) but (only) as long as we go through the courts.

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‘Mail-order brides’ leave Malaysian hubbies in a tight spot

Many Malaysians who married foreign “mail-order brides” have found themselves in a spot after their wives left the country. Most of them also took their children.

In all the cases, the women left while their husbands were at work.

MCA Public Services and Com­plaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said 25 such cases have been reported since last year.

“Of the number, 18 disappeared with the children,” he said.

Vietnamese women are the highest on the list, followed by Indonesian and China nationals.

In four cases, the women had even demanded money from their husbands in exchange for the children.

“The demands ranged between RM15,800 and RM31,600 to surrender a child,” said Chong.

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MACC demands list of land Taib owns - from opposition MP

Just hours after an opposition member presented Parliament with a list of the land acquired in the timber-rich state by the family of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, three officers of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) came a-calling.

They wanted that list.


"If I, an ordinary citizen, can get this information from the land office, why can't the MACC?" Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen (pic) demanded to know.

He is one of the Sarawak-based opposition MPs who have trained their sights on the chief minister but are finding him a constantly moving target. Chong was scathing as he questioned the inability of the MACC to strengthen its case against Taib and his family.

He pointed out that the MACC has a special taskforce of 10 investigators to probe the alleged corruption. "If the so-called 10-man probe team are doing their job, there is no reason why they should not have these documents," he said.


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Mameng filed his IC forms in the jungle, Ahmad collected his IC at a coffeeshop

Malaysian identity cards were issued to foreign migrants who worked at a logging camp in Kinabatangan, while some others collected theirs at a coffee shop in Kota Kinabalu, the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah heard today.

Mameng Saleng, 63, who was born in Sulawesi, Indonesia, told the five-man RCI panel he had received his identity card while working with a logging company. His supervisor had offered the workers citizenship.

"In 1983, the manager asked me whether I wanted a Malaysian IC and I agreed at once," Mameng told the RCI panel led by former Sabah and Sarawak Chief Judge Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong.

Mameng, who entered Sabah in 1981, admitted that all the documents related to the identity card were filled at the logging camp, although he still needed to go to the National Registration Department.

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EC in the line of fire again – for bonuses

Opposition members of parliament have questioned the rationale behind the RM200 million paid out in bonuses and allowances to Election Commission (EC) officials and workers who were on duty in May’s general election.

Leading the charge was Gombak MP Azmin Ali who said the EC did not deserve any bonus because they had failed to conduct free and fair elections.

"They failed in their duties. How can they be rewarded for that? They are spineless," said Azmin.

"It is disheartening for taxpayers to learn how their money is being spent."

However, Azmin agreed that the civil servants who had served in the GE had worked hard and lauded the Government for recognising their efforts.

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Evacuated residents return home

The Sepang Municipal Council ordered the evacuation of all residents of Block 5 of the Taman Permata Dengkil flats after checks found the building unsafeposed a serious danger because of massive cracks. The Sepang Municipal Council ordered the residents to move out on Tuesday evening after thorough checks by council officers on the building found out that the cracks could pose a serious danger to them.DENGKIL 12 JUNE 2013. Penduduk diminta mengosongkan rumah di Blok 5 Flat Taman Permata, Dengkil.

Experts deem building safe after thorough evaluation

SEPANG: MORE than 250 families living in Block B of the Taman Permata Dengkil flats were temporarily evacuated for two days after the building was deemed unsafe.

They were moved to the Dengkil multipurpose hall on Tuesday evening as a precautionary measure by local authorities.

However, they were allowed to go home yesterday after the Sepang Municipal Council assured them the building was still safe.

Sepang Council president Mohd Sayuthi Bakar said the temporary evacuation was done because they feared for the residents' safety.

"We are not experts and we felt that their safety was more important, which is why we evacuated them," he said, adding residents were allowed to return following discussions between experts from the Public Works Department and the Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram), which determined that the structure of the building was strong and the foundation solid.

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Hairstylist falls victim for second time with RM200,000 scam

Another experience of credit card fraud came back to haunt hairstylist Philip Chan when he received a call out of the blue 17 years later to repay a supposed RM200,000 debt.

Chan, 43, said he had lodged a complaint in 1996 when he discovered a RM4,000 charge on his monthly credit card statement.

“After investigations, the officer told me they believed I was a victim of fraud and closed the case. Since then, I have not used credit cards and no longer have an account with that financial institution,” he told reporters at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department here yesterday.

However, Chan said he received a call on June 2 from a woman who initially claimed to be from the bank but later said she was from the bank's authorised debt collection agency.

He said she had asked him about the credit card charge in 1996 and informed him that his outstanding payment had now ballooned to RM200,000.

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Penang govt slammed for rezoning hill

The land on top of Bukit Relau that was cleared illegally has been rezoned for housing development by the state government last year

State govt should disclose details of cleared land, say NGOs

GEORGE TOWN: PENANG-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have expressed shock over news that the land on Bukit Relau that was recently cleared illegally, had been rezoned by the DAP-led state government last year to allow development for housing.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) president S.M. Mohamed Idris said the group was against the state government's decision.

"Hills are important to Penang and they should be protected, not developed. This bald patch on Bukit Relau should be rehabilitated and left alone," he said yesterday.

An English daily reported yesterday that the land, which measures almost 23ha, was rezoned from hill land to low-density housing land last year.

The rezoning was approved by the State Planning Committee (SPC), which is chaired by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and consists of state executive committee members and Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) department heads.

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Genneva: Judge says it is genuine gold trading; acquits directors

The three Genneva Sdn Bhd directors and a former director charged with 224 charges of money-laundering and five charges of illegal deposit-taking involving more than RM141mil were acquitted and discharged by a Sessions Court here.

Judge Rozana Ali Yusof made the decision Thursday after the defence succeeded in establishing doubt in the case against Datuk Ng Poh Weng, Datuk Marcus Yee Yuen Seng, Datuk Chin Wai Leong and former director Liew Chee Wah.

Judge Rozana said Genneva was not doing illegal deposit taking but doing genuine gold trading.

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Malaysia Sarawak’s RM4.9b bonds banker Goldman Sachs facilitating corruption, says Global Witness

Taib was cast into the international spotlight after Global Witness released a video documentary alleging the state Barisan Nasional chief to have received millions of ringgit in kickbacks over land deals


Goldman Sachs Inc has been flayed for underwriting RM4.87 billion (US$1.6 billion) in bonds for Sarawak’s energy corridor projects and ignoring alleged corruption in the East Malaysian state by activist group Global Witness.

However, the global investment banker has denied any mistakes in underwriting bonds for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) project, which won it the ‘Bank of the Year 2012’ award by International Financing Review Asia for “breaking with tradition to win new business in difficult conditions”.

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Five BN Selangor candidates alleged to have fake degrees

Kohilan was among the five whose paper qualifications were called into question.


The DAP put the integrity of five Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) election candidates under the microscope today after it accused the men, including a deputy minister, of having “bought” their high-level academic qualifications.

The opposition party’s election strategist Ong Kian Ming named interim deputy foreign minister A. Kohilan Pillay, Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairman Teh Kim Poh, MCA’s Ching Eu Boon and Lee Ban Seng, as well as an Umno religious affair chief, Ab Wahab Ibrahim, as having padded their résumés with academic degrees from universities that have been exposed as degree mills.

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Shahrizat will not contest in GE13

Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil today confirmed that she will not be contesting in the 13th general election.

Shahrizat, who is also Wanita Barisan Nasional (BN) chief, said the 13th general election was not a good time for her to contest,maybe due to her family scandal in misuse of governemnt fund in National Cow Feed programs, but to help strengthen the Wanita election machinery to ensure victory for BN.

"Although I'm the army general for Wanita, it doesn't necessarily mean thatI have to contest. I'm a realistic person, the time for me will come, but not during the 13th general election," she told a press conference here today.

Shahrizat began her political career in 1982 when she was appointed as Kepong Baru Wanita Umno chief and climbed the ladder to lead Wanita Umno as its chief for 2008/2011 term after defeating Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.

Taib Mahmud: MACC doesn’t deserve my co-operation

Taib arriving for the BN meeting in Kuala Lumpur today.

Hit by graft allegations, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said today he will not co-operate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as he believes the government body to be “naughty” and “dishonest” in its investigations.

The long-serving Sarawak chief minister was cast into the international spotlight last month after an environmental activist group released a video documentary alleging the state Barisan Nasional chief to have received millions of ringgit in kickbacks over land deals that have denuded the Borneo state.

“They don’t deserve my co-operation because they have been naughty... and they have not been honest,” Taib told reporters after attending a Barisan Nasional leadership meeting here.

Taib said he was not afraid of being investigated by the anti-graft body.

“Let them victimise me... I am not scared”

Explain forex loss, Nor Mohamad told

COME CLEAN CALL: Nor Mohamad is alleged to be involved in the 1992/93 forex scandal

MINISTER in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcop has been asked to "come clean" on the 1992/93 foreign exchange scandal in which RM15.8 million allegedly went "missing".

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said failure to do so could mean that Nor Mohamad could be subjected to an inquiry mounted by Pakatan Rakyat if it took over the federal government.

“When the scandal happened, the amount of RM15.8 million was a gargantuan amount. It still is at this day and age. I am not saying he took it but he must explain what happened," Lim said at a press conference.