PCM wants MACC to investigate Penang undersea tunnel project

PUTRAJAYA: Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan has called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the controversial Penang undersea tunnel project, claiming many questions and new evidence regarding its related projects remain unanswered.
Huan who arrived at the MACC headquarters, here, submitted several documents to the anti-graft officers.
"We have compiled the latest updates and hopefully MACC will probe this case further," he said before entering the MACC headquarters.
He claimed that the Penang government has yet to respond to several questions regarding the project.
"Why did the state government allow the Penang Tunnel Special Purpose vehicle (SPV) company to pre-sell RM3 billion worth of state land rights even though the road project went though a four-year delay before construction commenced?
"What happened to the feasibility and detailed design studies costing RM305 million that have yet to be completed despite the Penang government having paid RM220 million to the SPV, an amount previously identified to be 400% above the gazetted scale?," he asked.
He also claimed that sources have informed him that the Penang government had allowed the SPV company to pre-sell the 20.23ha of state land on Gurney Drive to a listed company for RM2.38 billion to develop the Wellness City of Dreams, whereby the ceremony commencing the sale had been attended by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
"It was announced that this project, which will be 100% privately owned in a joint venture between the listed company and the Penang Tunnel SPV company, will have a Gross Development Value (GDV) of RM15 billion.
"I am raising these questions as to why the Penang government seemingly benefited a 100% privately-owned property developer and did not allow state-owned Penang Development Corporation (PDC) a stake in the overall project which cost RM15 billion," he said.
Huan said he hoped the MACC would be able to investigate what he described as an "extremely lop-sided" project that appears to benefit developers at the expense of the taxpayers' money.