Chan pleaded not guilty to three charges of deceiving then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi into approving Kuala Dimensi as the turnkey developer for the PKFZ project.
PUTRAJAYA: Former transport minister Chan Kong Choy was today charged at the Putrajaya Sessions Court over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) financial scandal.
Chan pleaded not guilty to three charges under Section 417 of the Penal Code of deceiving then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi into approving Kuala Dimensi as the turnkey developer for the PKFZ project.
Chan, who arrived at the court at 2.05pm with his family members, appeared calm when the charges were read to him.
He was allowed bail at RM1 million, with one surety. The case will be mentioned again on March 31.
The prosecution was led by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail while Chan was represented by Azah Bashir.
If found guilty, the former transport minister can be jailed for up to five years or fined or both.
Second MCA leader in the dockChan is the second former minister after Dr Ling Liong Sik, to be charged with allegedly cheating the government over the PKFZ financial fiasco.
Ling, 67, was charged in July, last year and is out on a RM1 million bail.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s office between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002.
Ling, the longest-serving MCA president, claimed trial to the first charge of cheating under Section 418 of the Penal Code and an alternative charge under Section 417 for an alleged offence committed at the same time and place.
He faces up to seven years in jail for the first charge and up to five years’ imprisonment on the alternative charge. Both carry a fine.
After Ling, Chan became the sixth highest-ranking person to be charged over the scandal after former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang and three others were accused of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and cheating by making false claims late last year.
The PKFZ project was mooted during Ling’s term as transport minister, and the cost of the project – initially estimated at less than RM2 billion – more than doubled to RM4.6 billion by 2007.
Chan joined the Cabinet as culture, arts and tourism deputy minister in 1990. He took over the transport ministry portfolio after a promotion in 2003.
He was re-appointed to the post in 2004 and was retained in a minor Cabinet reshuffle in 2006. He opted for retirement prior to the 2008 general election. He has also served as MCA deputy president from 2004 to 2008.
Scapegoats for BN to gain some points for 'transparency' Macc still acting like a servant of Umno.
ReplyDeleteHow come Badawi never been accused for this, by actual fact he was the one who signed approval for all these things.
Don't tell me he is just a sign buta man...sigh! this is malaysia that we know.