KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is investigating new information it has received about the Selangor government’s award of a proof of concept (PoC) for a transport project to a company run by the husband of a cabinet member.
A source from the anti-graft agency said it had received “new complaints” and “new leads”, and was now investigating to determine the validity of the claims.
MACC deputy chief commissioner for operations Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya confirmed that new information had been received, but did not elaborate.
He only asked that the public refrained from speculating on the matter.
The source meanwhile, said the new details received needed to be further examined and investigated for any abuse of power and for governance issues relating to the Selangor Treasury in the appointment process of the company.
Neither Khusairi nor the source named anyone.
However, the Selangor government transport project that has been in the news lately is the Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot project, in which Asia Mobiliti is one of two companies undertaking the PoC for nine months to determine the DRT’s feasibility.
Asia Mobiliti is co-founded and run by Ramachandran Muniandy, who is the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki had previously said the agency found no wrongdoing in its preliminary investigation into the issue, but further investigations could be conducted with new leads.
Selangor mobility executive councillor Ng Sze Han said Asia Mobiliti and another company, BadanBas Coach, were not selected for the DRT trial through direct negotiations, and had been chosen by the state as the Land Public Transport Agency had approved them because they were qualified to conduct the DRT, which uses technology solutions.
Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin had also clarified that Asia Mobiliti was only being asked to prove its capabilities in running the DRT and had not been awarded a contract.
Yesterday, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said neither he, Yeoh, nor Ng were involved in the project’s appointment process. – May 31, 2024