PUTRAJAYA: Former transport minister Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to three counts of cheating over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Chan answered “mengaku tidak bersalah”(I plead not guilty) after a court interpreter read out the charges to him in Bahasa Malaysia.

The court proceedings, which began at 2.10pm yesterday, took about 15 minutes.

He is the second VVIP to be charged over the controversial project after his predecessor Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik was charged on July 29 last year with cheating over the project.

Chan is accused of deceiving then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi into approving Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd as the turnkey developer to carry out development of the Transshipment Hub project in Pulau Indah Free Zone and renovation works at the PKFZ site amounting to RM1.9bil.

He is charged with three counts of cheating between February 2004 and March 2006, at the fourth floor of the main block at the former prime minister’s office in Perdana Putra building here.

Chan leaving the courtroom in Putrajaya after being charged Monday. He said he believed in the Malaysian justice system and was confident his name would be cleared.

Each count carries a maximum jail term of five years, a fine or both, under Section 417 of the Penal Code.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, who is heading the prosecution, requested the court to set a date for case mention a month later.

This would enable both sides to exchange documents and identify issues.

He said the prosecution also wanted time to hold a pre-trial conference with the defence to ensure that no unnecessary issues or facts were raised during the trial later.

Both parties, he said, had agreed to have the bail set at RM1mil.

The Attorney-General is assisted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Dzulkifli Ahmad and Manoj Kurup; while Chan is represented by Arthur Wang, Badrul Munir Bukhari and Azad Bashir.

Justice Azhaniz Teh set bail at RM1mil and set March 31 for mention of the case.

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