The police today recorded a statement from DAP parliamentarian Tan Kok Wai following his report lodged last week on the scandal involving toll concessionaire Metramac Corporation Sdn Bhd (Metramac).

Met later, the Cheras MP said Supt Wan Zainulddin Wan Mahmood from the commercial crime department in Kuala Lumpur questioned him on the history and details of the toll concession agreement.

The 40-minute session included a request by the police for a copy of the concession agreement.

In turn, Tan (left) said he had urged the authorities to get to the root of the scandal as soon as possible.

"I called on the government to ensure that action is taken against those who are guilty in the eyes of the law, as shown by the Court of Appeal judgement, and that they be brought to justice," he said.

Tan had in September 1990 headed protests by residents in his constituency, which resulted in his arrest under the Internal Security Act.

It further led to the City Hall suspending toll collections and a contract with Syarikat Teratai KG Sdn Bhd (STKG) - later known as Metramac.

A recent Court of Appeal judgment linked to the termination of the contract had referred to business tycoon Halim Saad and his ex-partner Anuar Othman, alleging that they had siphoned off RM32 million from Metramac.

Also implicated in the judgement was former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who had told STKG the government did not have RM764 million to compensate the company for termination of the contract.

Soon after Metramac's RM97.5 million purchase of the financially-ruined STKG, the new owners were paid RM756 million in compensation, money which Daim had earlier said the government did not have.

Both Halim and Daim have since denied the allegations.

Call for probe

Accompanying Tan this morning was DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng (far right), who called for the appointment of a royal commission of inquiry to probe the matter as it involved a large sum of money.

"Tan Kok Wai went to jail for seven days, was released without being brought to court and did not get one sen in compensation. As we've seen in the Court of Appeal judgment, somebody got (RM764 million)" he said.

The amount, he said, did not include about RM200 million obtained from the 12-year collection of toll from the time it was re-imposed.

Lim said the commission was needed because cabinet ministers were said to be involved.

"If a minister does something in bad faith, for the wrong purposes and intentions, I feel it brings into question all the contracts signed by that minister. I'm referring here to toll concession contracts," he said.

"In Kuala Lumpur alone, toll is charged on more than 10 highways. If from just one (of these) you can collect nearly RM1 billion, imagine how much can be obtained from 10. That's a very big amount."

Lim also took a potshot at the MCA by challenging its leaders to match their pronouncements on values and ethics with action and example.

MCA president Ong Ka Ting was quoted as saying yesterday that people would only follow leaders who set "a good example" and those "with conscience and integrity".

The DAP, said Lim, hoped MCA leaders would prove their sincerity by raising the Metramac scandal during the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

"I hope they don't just talk about it, but that they act. Otherwise, it will be merely another instance of cakap tak serupa bikin (when action does not meet words)," he added.