THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which has begun its probe into the award and implementation of the vehicle entry permit system between Johor and Singapore in 2015, will be summoning more witnesses, including the former transport minister, to aid the investigation.

PAC chairman Ronald Kiandee told reporters at the Parliament building today that former transport minister Liow Tiong Lai and the former secretary-general of his ministry are likely to be called to testify.

Liow is yet to be served with the 14-day notice to give his statement, in accordance with the Standing Orders of Parliament.

He may possibly be called to testify during the upcoming Parliament session if the notice is served within the period.

Kiandee said the PAC may also decide whether former finance minister and prime minister Najib Razak should be called to give his statement.

The current secretary-general of the Transport Ministry, Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman, gave his statement today.

“The statement given today is not enough to conclude the case. We will be calling more witnesses and we are not ruling out the possibility of the former minister and former secretary-general of the ministry being called,” Kiandee said.

The key questions of the proceeding include the manner in which the project was awarded, the track record and background of the company that it was awarded to, and the project’s lateness despite being given an extension three times.

The Auditor-General’s Report 2017 (second series) showed that the RM149.45 million system was awarded through direct negotiation and not open tender. It also saw a drastic hike in operational expenditure.

The project was awarded to a company called TCSens Sdn Bhd and involved two contracts, namely the capital expenditure contract, worth RM45.15 million, and operational expenditure contract, worth RM104.3 million.

It is understood that TCSens is linked to former MCA deputy secretary-general and ex-Tanjung Piai MP Wee Jeck Seng. Liow is the former MCA president.

Other irregularities found included the discovery that equipment such as barrier gates and cameras, worth RM4.07 million, were not installed. – February 19, 2019.