Segambut MP cries foul over alleged ‘double-paid’ DBKL job

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/44059-segambut-mp-cries-foul-over-alleged-double-paid-dbkl-job (By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal)

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) about an alleged double-paid job worth about RM200,000 by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) contractors.

He told reporters that he was sent two documents pertaining to the case anonymously last Thursday. "An anonymous person passed these two documents to my office while I was in Parliament on Thursday. After carefully looking through the documents, I suspected there was some hanky-panky going on in this DBKL project." It is understood that the project involved construction work to repair a collapsed drain at Jalan Gallagher in Bukit Tunku. The same project was given to two different contractors at the same time. One was given a contract for Phase 1 while the other was given a contract for Phase 3 of the same project. "Everything, from the time frame of the job (Jan 15 to March 5, 2009), how many units, the material needed to complete the job, the amended claims... are all exactly the same except the name of the contractor and the phase," said Lim (picture). He said it appears that one job is being carried out by two different contractors, and payment is being made two times, with each contractor earning RM92, 670.96. The documents, which certified payments to both contractors, were signed by the deputy director of the Public Works Department (JKA) of DBKL. When asked whether he had called up DBKL to comment, Lim said he did not do so because he could not rule out foul play by DBKL. "I don't want to enquire with DBKL; this might alert them to do 'housekeeping' and they might tamper with documents." Lim also claimed that he had personally inspected the entire stretch of Jalan Gallagher, and could not locate the supposed "newly fixed longkang (drain)". "I did not see a new longkang, but what I did see was a collapsed longkang. I don't know whether this is the same (drain)," said Lim. A complaint has now been lodged with the MACC and an Encik Saiful, the officer-in-charge, has promised to investigate the matter. "I will give MACC two months. If there is no reply on their part by then, I will take further action," said Lim.
Later, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider, Saiful declined to comment on the case as he claimed to have no "authority" over the matter. "I have no comment on the case. Even my superior officer cannot comment because this case is still new, he has no knowledge of it," said the MACC officer.