Day: August 21, 2021

KUALA LUMPUR, The Sessions Court was told today that Beijing Urban Construction Group Sdn Bhd (BUCG) should not be involved in meetings or discussions for the preparation of Request for Proposal (RFP) documents if the main road and tunnel construction project in Penang is offered through open tender.

Senior private secretary to Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Muhamad Azrai Mohamad Zaini, 39, said he was of the view that BUCG’s involvement in the early stages of preparing the RFP documents before the tender offer was advertised would give the company an advantage over other companies.

“I know that this project will be awarded by the state government through open tender. I also know that BUCG representative Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli was present to assist the State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) in preparing the RFP documents.

“If (the project was offered) via open tender, BUCG should not be present at the meeting or discussion for the preparation of the RFP document. This is because, BUCG should not be involved in any process of preparing the RFP documents.

“I know there are amendments made to the RFP document draft that give BUCG an advantage to know about the scope of work of each project, the estimated cost, qualifications set for tender bidders, technical and financial conditions, earlier than other bidding companies before the RFP is advertised,” said the fourth prosecution witness.

He said this when reading out his witness statement on the seventh day of former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s corruption trial on four charges involving the construction of an undersea tunnel and paired roads project in Penang.

The project was awarded to Consortium Zenith Bejing Urban Construction Group Sdn Bhd (CZBUCG), which is a joint venture company with BUCG.

Asked by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, whether there was any conflict of interest when BUCG also involved in the preparation of the RFP documents, Muhamad Azrai replied: “I think there will be conflict of interest when a company that is involved in preparing the RFP documents also bids for the project”.

Muhamad Azrai who previously held the position of assistant director (Works, Utilities & Transport) at Penang UPEN from 2010 to 2016 said he received instructions from Datuk Lim Hock Seng, the then Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman to call the parties involved to attend the meeting on July 11, 2011.

“It was the third discussion between Penang state government representatives and BUCG representatives regarding the preparation of RFP documents for the three main road and tunnel construction project,” he said.

Asked why he did not report this involvement of BUCG in the meetings with his superior, Muhamad Azrai said “I was still a junior officer at that time and I assumed that everything I did was under the knowledge of my immediate bosses and therefore I felt that there was no need for me to report about BUCG’s involvement in the meetings.

Muhamad Azrai also said that BUCG had appointed consultants from China and Malaysia to conduct a study on the project and during a meeting on May 10, BUCG said there were difficulties in carrying out the project, but state the government decided to proceed with the project anyway.

Meanwhile, when cross-examined by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo representing Lim, whether he agreed that the former Penang chief minister was not involved in the three meetings as they were conducted by the state executive council members and experts from the state government, Muhamad Azrai replied in the affirmative.

According to the first amended charge, Lim, 60, is charged with using his position as then Penang Chief Minister to obtain a bribe of RM3.3 million for helping a company owned by Zarul Ahmad to secure the construction project worth RM6,341,383,702.

The offence was allegedly committed between January 2011 and August 2017 at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office.

On the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting bribes amounting to 10 per cent of the profits from Zarul Ahmad to be earned by the company as gratification for helping his (Zarul) company to secure the project.

The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, here, between 12.30 am and 2 am in March 2011.

The Bagan member of parliament also faces two charges with causing two plots of land, worth RM208.8 million, belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies, which are linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017.

The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues on Sept 10.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

IPOH, A septuagenarian was charged at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here today for allegedly killing his disabled wife earlier this month.

Lim Hon Koi, 72, who is receiving treatments at the hospital, was accused of killing Chan Moy, 74, by slashing her neck in a room on the ground floor of a house in Taman Desa Cahaya, Gopeng between 8 pm on Aug 8 and 7.30 am on Aug 9.

The charge is framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

No plea was recorded after the charge was read before Magistrate Nur Faizah Muhamad Saleh.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Nazreen Zabarudin while the accused was unrepresented.

The case is set for mention on Sept 30 pending post-mortem, chemist and toxicology reports.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has requested Interpol’s help to locate rapper Ariz Ramli or better known as Caprice and Cinta Gaza Malaysia chief executive officer Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman.

Wangsa Maju district police chief Supt Ashari Abu Samah said the request was made on Aug 16 to have their statements taken online following a police report lodged against them by famous preacher Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew or Ebit Lew last month.

He said the police had also tried to contact the duo through email and social media platforms, but to no avail.

“Efforts are also being made to reach Caprice on the contact number uploaded by Caprice on his instagram account and we hope that he will give his full cooperation,” he said to Bernama.

On July 21, Ebit Lew lodged a police report on various allegations levelled against him by several individuals on social media.

The case is being investigated under Section 500 and 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Police have crippled a prostitution ring with the arrest of 11 women, including eight foreigners, in a series of raids on several budget hotels in Bukit Mertajam, Butterworth and Simpang Ampat in Penang yesterday.

State Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Rahimi Ra’ais said police nabbed the suspects, aged between 25 and 37, after putting them under surveillance since last week.

Two men, both in their 30s, believed to be a customer and a hotel caretaker, were also detained in the integrated Op Noda conducted between 3 pm and 6 pm.

“The modus operandi of the syndicate was to advertise the sexual services on the WeChat mobile application and bring customers to hotels where the prostitutes would be waiting in the room.

“Each customer is charged between RM120 and RM200 for the services,” he said when contacted here today.

He said investigations showed that the eight foreigners, comprising Thais, Indonesians and Vietnamese, did not have valid travel documents and had misused their work permits.

Rahimi said police also seized items such as tissues, condoms, lubricants, cash and mobile phones in the raids.

“The operator of the budget hotels would be slapped with compounds under Rule 17 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2021,” he added.

He said all those detained have been remanded for further investigations under Section 372B of the Penal Code.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SHAH ALAM, The Magistrate’s Court here today issued an order for another government department engineer to be in remand for five days for alleged corruption.

The order was issued by Magistrate’s Court assistant registrar Raden Farah Shirazee Ahmadi following an application by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

According to a MACC source, the 40-year-old engineer was arrested yesterday after giving his statement.

Last Aug 18, five individuals, including an engineers and two assistant engineers, were ordered to be remanded for investigation into the same case.

They were believed to have solicited and received bribes amounting to more than RM120,000 from a contractor to obtain construction projects of a road and a tahfiz school in Hulu Selangor and more than RM8,000 for maintenance and repair of a government office.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency