KUALA LUMPUR: There is no legal issue with the awarding of a Selangor government contract to a company linked to a Pakatan Harapan minister’s husband, says the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said this was because the project had been awarded by the state government itself and not by the Youth and Sports Ministry helmed by Hannah Yeoh.
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“According to law, there is no wrongdoing if a person receives a contract or any type of benefit from an agency or entity that is not related to them.
"In Yeoh's husband's case, based on what I have read from media reports, he received a contract from the Selangor government. Yeoh is the Youth and Sports Minister.
"There is no direct relationship between the ministry and the Selangor government, meaning the project that was awarded is... from a separate entity (not under Yeoh).
"As such, I don't see any wrongdoing with the awarding of the contract,” he told reporters here on Monday (May 27).
Previously it was reported that the Selangor government had appointed a company linked to Yeoh's husband to provide on-demand transportation services in the state.
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The company, Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd, was founded in 2018 by Yeoh’s husband Ramachandran Muniandy, who is its chief executive officer.
State executive councillor for investment, trade and mobility Ng Sze Han had previously said the two companies involved in the contract – Asia Mobility Technologies and Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd – were chosen as they had the necessary credentials for the job.
He noted that both companies had also received approval to run the services from the Land Public Transport Agency.
On Sunday (May 26), MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to look into the awarding of the demand responsive transit (DRT) Selangor Mobility Initiative pilot project to Ramachandran's company.
On Monday, Federal Territories Perikatan Nasional secretary Dr Mahathir Mohd Rais said the deal had raised serious questions about the transparency and integrity of Selangor's tender process.