'Statements by Dr M, ex-ministers killed PKFZ case'

The testimonies of three former ministers, including former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in the Port Klang Free Trade Zone trial ultimately killed the court case, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri.

Nancy told Parliament prosecution's case in the trial was hurt with the three ex-ministers siding with their fellow minister Dr Ling Liong Sik.

She was responding to a question on why the Attorney-General's Chambers refused to appeal on case which it lost in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

Ling was on Oct 25 cleared of cheating the government by allegedly failing to disclose a 7.5 percent per annum interest on the purchase price of the land for the PKFZ project, which cost the government an additional RM720 million.

"When the defence was called, the three ministers, including Mahathir, Fong Chan Onn (left) and Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, made testimonies siding with the defence.

"They claimed they were not cheated and were aware that land sales price (for the PKFZ land) did not include interest.

"The High Court judge established their statements as facts, based on the credibility of the three ministers," she said.

'Thin chance'

As such, Nancy (right) said, to overturn these established facts in the Court of Appeal would be a difficult task had the prosecution appealed and that the chances of winning were thin.

Furthermore, she added, the prosecution had interpreted that a document used in the court case as having included the interest for the land's purchase price. However the three ministers interpreted them differently, insisting that the interest was not part of it.

"We have experienced experts handling this case and they know how far the case can go in an appeal.

"If those are the facts then that is all they have," she said during the winding up of the committee stage budget debate.

She added that the government did not interfere in the court case.

As such, Nancy said, to overturn these established facts in the Court of Appeal would be a difficult task had the prosecution appealed and the chances of winning were thin.