THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had opened 71 investigation papers against BN politicians between 2013 and 2017, minister Paul Low said, refuting claims that the anti-graft agency practises double standards.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said during the same period, only 21 investigation papers were opened against politicians from the opposition pact, Pakatan Harapan (PH) or the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat.

He was responding to a question by Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) who accused the MACC of practising double standards in its investigations into opposition politicians.

Lim in his question had also said MACC had leaked information on the Penang undersea tunnel project to Barisan Nasional (BN)-linked media and the agency had failed to act on fake news that claimed the state government received bribes involving millions of ringgit.

He said this was in contrast to a police report lodged by the commission after information on its investigation into a Johor exco was leaked.

“The MACC carries out investigation against any individual under the MACC Act 2009, transparently and professionally,” Low said in a written reply dated March 6.

“In the Penang undersea tunnel project, the media have published news reports on the matter but the published reports were not MACC’s investigation documents, therefore the MACC didn’t lodge any police report on the published news reports,” he said.

He added that in the case of the Johor exco, MACC lodged a police report because the leaked information was classified as confidential.

Lim’s office yesterday slammed BN-linked newspapers for playing up the photo of Lim with a businessman who allegedly received money from the developer of the Penang undersea tunnel.

It said the businessman, who was the director of a public listed company, was instead “closely connected to BN leaders”.

BN media had called it ‘proof’ that Lim was the businessman’s buddy and connected to a payment of RM19 million in bribe money.

The photo of Lim, who is DAP secretary-general and PH deputy president, and the businessman was widely circulated over the weekend and made the evening news on TV.

The businessman had allegedly received RM19 million from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd for “consultancy services” to stop the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission from investigating on the tunnel and highways project.

Consortium Zenith won the open tender to undertake the project mooted by the Penang government in 2013.

In 2016, MACC opened an investigation into the project following allegations of graft.

It was reported that Consortium Zenith wanted the RM19 million back in July last year because the businessman had failed to deliver what he promised.

The businessman was recently arrested by MACC, which seized more than RM7.5 million of his assets. He has since been released on bail.

MACC also picked up another businessman who alleged received RM3 million for similar consultancy work related to the tunnel and highways project. – March 12, 2018.