Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today said he will study the report by Works Minister S Samy Vellu on problems plaguing government projects before deciding whether or not to make it public.

"I'll have to see what it is all about. I am not making any statements on this at the moment. He says he is ready to give it (the report) to me. Soon I'll get a call from him I believe," he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.

Samy Vellu, who has come under fire in recent weeks, said yesterday that he would submit a comprehensive report on the matter to the premier tomorrow.

On calls by several Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians for the minister to step down, Abdullah said: "That's the view of the MPs. I have a different view."

Asked what his view was, he replied: "My view will be entirely mine, as the prerogative is mine."

Samy Vellu was criticised following the landslide along the North-South Expressway last week and the earlier closure of a section of the Middle Ring Road 2 in Kuala Lumpur after cracks appeared on an overpass.

He was also rapped over air-conditioning and structural defects at the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baharu and design problems at the East Coast Expressway.

The BN MPs had also urged the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to investigate the minister.

However, Samy Vellu has claimed that there is a political conspiracy against him and vowed to expose those involved at the right time.

Probe underway

Kuantan ACA director Rahim Mustakain said the agency is still investigating allegations of irregularities in relation to the East Coast Expressway.

"We are waiting for the report from Ikram (an engineering services agency)," he said when contacted.

However, he refused to elaborate on the matter, saying that statements pertaining to investigations can only be issued by the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya.

Federal ACA director-general Zulkipli Mat Noor and other officials could not be reached for comment.

A team led by Rahim comprising of engineering forensic experts carried out on-site investigations last week at the East Coast Expressway. They gathered soil samples and recorded measurements on the four-lane expressway near Lanchang.

The soil samples were to determine if the materials and construction process followed the specifications outlined in the approved plans. This is the second highway project being investigated by the ACA.

In August, the agency started a probe into cracks on the Middle Ring Road 2 to determine if there was fraud in the construction of the 1.7km overpass. A consultant later found that the cracks are due to a design flaw.