KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) has imposed a total penalty of RM2.98 million on three companies for participating in a bid-rigging cartel involving maintenance work tenders in Putrajaya.
The companies penalised are Abadi Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Kota Landskap Sdn Bhd, and Usia Maintenance Sdn Bhd.
The cartel activities involved six tenders issued by Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPj) between 2018 and 2021, valued at nearly RM45 million. MyCC found the companies violated Section 4 of the Competition Act 2010 (Act 712) by coordinating bids through WhatsApp, email, and meetings.
MyCC CEO Datuk Iskandar Ismail revealed that Abadi Malaysia acted as the coordinator, with tender documents prepared jointly by employees of all three companies at a single location. Evidence showed centralised document handling at Kota Landskap’s premises.
Investigations uncovered family and friendship ties among company directors, though no PPj officials were implicated. Usia Maintenance and Abadi Malaysia each won two tenders but were penalised for collusion in all six projects. Kota Landskap was found guilty for involvement in every tender submission.
MyCC issued a Proposed Decision in September 2024 and reviewed company representations before finalising the penalty. Iskandar urged businesses to compete ethically, warning against collusion in procurement processes.
The commission is currently investigating 14 other cases involving over 500 companies and RM2.3 billion in tenders. - Bernama
