ACA: Investigation continuing into reports against Khir Toyo
The investigation into graft allegations against Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is still in progress, but the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) cannot predict when this will be completed.
ACA officer Hasnan Mustafa, who is investigating the case, said the information gathered thus far was not complete and that more witnesses may be called in to give their statements.
The investigation into graft allegations against Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is still in progress, but the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) cannot predict when this will be completed.
ACA officer Hasnan Mustafa, who is investigating the case, said the information gathered thus far was not complete and that more witnesses may be called in to give their statements.
Different levels
He also said it was impossible to tell when the investigation would be concluded.
"Different cases have different levels of difficulty. Sometimes, it takes a long time to obtain information as in the case of Perwaja Steel," he said when contacted.
National steelmaking operations Perwaja Steel was to have driven Malaysia's industrialisation programme in the early 1980s, but turned into a corporate disaster when it incurred an estimated loss of RM10.7 billion.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad then appointed businessman Eric Chia in 1988 to take over the operations.
Investigations into alleged abuse of funds in Perwaja started in 1996, with the government repeatedly saying that the ACA has faced difficulty in getting the co-operation of several banking authorities abroad to trace missing funds.
Asked if political interference was impeding the investigation into the Mohd Khir cases, Hasnan replied, "I can't say anything about that. We only do our job here."
He said that, once the investigation is completed, the ACA would submit a report to the Attorney-General's Chambers, which would then decide whether or not to bring charges.
Several reports
Several reports have been lodged against Mohd Khir over the past two years.
Most of these were made by media activist Ahmad Lutfi Othman, who first accused Mohd Khir of awarding land and government projects worth over RM100 million to a band of cronies in October 2001.
In each of his reports, Lutfi provided the ACA with details of the individuals and companies allegedly involved, and copies of Mohd Khir's bank statements which he had obtained.
Mohd Khir has dismissed the allegations as "unfounded", insisting that he has no personal interest in all the projects approved by the state legislative assembly.
The latest graft allegation against him was made last week by DAP state assembly representative for Bandar Klang Teng Chang Khim.
Teng (photo) claimed that Mohd Khir was unfit for his job because of "cronyism, corruption, nepotism and his failure to set exemplary leadership".
He also alleged that Mohd Khir was involved in two "suspicious" allocations of land for plantation purposes. Last Friday, Teng was called in by the ACA to give a statement.
Last month, Parliamentary Secretary in the Prime Minister's Department Noh Omar told the Dewan Rakyat that 25 senior government leaders, some as high up as minister and deputy minister, were being investigated by the ACA.
