 KUALA LUMPUR - Selayang MP William Leong (left) said Friday that all of those who are involved in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal must be held accountable and the Attorney General should bring it to a proper closure.
Leong, who is PKR treasurer, said the reasons provided from the authorities for the delay in charging Dr Ling Liong Sik, former MCA president and Transport Minister, were not sufficient.
"All persons irrespective of the office and position who are involved must be charged and tried for their offences in abusing their office and the trust placed by the people on them or for cheating the Government," he said in a press statement.
"Those who have abetted, assisted or have received the benefits of these crimes must also be charged, tried and convicted."
He said it took the police, MACC and the Attorney General three years to charge Ling when the scandal involving RM12.5 billion of taypayers' money was revealed back in August 2007.
"I call on the Attorney General to take the necessary action to bring a proper closure to this PKFZ scandal," Leong said. "Failure to do so will raise the issue that the authorities practise selected prosecution."
He also said a fair trial is necessary to bring justice to the public, as well as to Ling, OC Phang and others who are implicated in the scandal, to clear their reputation.
"In order for public confidence in the government institutions to be restored, all the other persons involved in the PKFZ scandal must be charged without delay and the prosecution must conduct the trial in a professional and diligent manner," Leong said.
Ling was charged with cheating on Thursday over the scandal-hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.
The charges concern land evaluations under the penal code with the principle charge under section 418 with the alternative charge being 417.
Punishment for offences under section 417 carries a jail term of not more than five years and not more than seven years under section 418.
Ling was MCA president from 1986 to 2003. The PKFZ project was mooted during his tenure as Transport Minister and the cost of the project, initially estimated at less than RM2 billion, more than doubled to RM4.6 billion by 2007.
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