NEW Bersatu lawmaker Shabudin Yahaya said he will cooperate with investigations into land deals made during his chairmanship of the Penang Regional Development Authority, Free Malaysia Today reports.

The Tasek Gelugor MP, who was one of the seven MPs who left Umno to join Bersatu on Tuesday, said all the decisions under his leadership were “above board” and the board of directors made them “in consensus”.

Perda yesterday announced that it had sued Shabudin, former board members and the buyers of two properties that allegedly sold at below market rate.

The suit is part of a larger probe into 15 cases of alleged mismanagement.

Shabudin today said suit would pose no problems for him as he and the board members had given statements to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in 2016 after then chief minister Lim Guan Eng lodged a report over the deals.

“We are ready to justify all the deals made in court as everything was done according to the standard operating procedures,” Shabudin said at this service centre in Kepala Batas today.

He said Perda’s board included members from the Finance Ministry, the Economic Planning Unit and the Implementation and Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department.

Perda chairman Haniff Khatri Abdulla yesterday said the suit was over a 9.36-acre (3.8ha) piece of land at Kampung Tok Keramat, Nibong Tebal, worth RM17.7 million, and another in Sungai Baong, Jawi, covering 5.8 acres, worth RM1.9 million.

Shabudin said he joined Bersatu because he would be better able to to help his constituents.

“It would be advantageous to get allocations and aid for the people if we are with the government of the day. That way, the constituents are better served.”

Shabudin has served as Tasek Gelugor MP for two terms.

In the last general election, he retained the seat against Bersatu’s Marzuki Yahya and a PAS candidate by 81 votes.

Marzuki, who is Bersatu secretary-general and deputy foreign minister, filed an election petition to challenge the result.

Yesterday, the court bid was cancelled after lawyers from both sides agreed to do so.

Marzuki was reported to have said last year that he would pursue the election petition even if Shabudin joined Bersatu.  – February 16, 2019.