Probe Tengku Adnan over TTDI land deal, C4 tells MACC

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 23): C4 Center has urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate former Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (pictured) and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) over the land deal involving the Taman Rimba Kiara park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).

The anti-graft watchdog claims there were serious conflict of interest in the dealings between Tengku Adnan and the directors of a number of companies which were linked to the deal.

“The connection between Tengku Adnan and the directors of the companies will raise queries as to serious conflict of interest in the dealings.

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"It appears that Tengku Adnan could have abused his position by making decisions in ways that will provide personal benefit and favoritism for his associates and family members,” C4 Center executive director Cynthia Gabriel said in a statement yesterday.

She said Tengku Adnan, being the Federal Territories Minister and chairman of YWP at that material time, had direct oversight of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the then mayor, Tan Sri Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz, who was also a director of YWP.

Gabriel noted that TTDI residents had been protesting against the proposed high-rise development project in the park for the past two years, even calling for the park to be gazetted as public space to prevent development from taking place. 

YWP had in 2014 procured the issuance of a title to itself for 12 acres out of the 25-acre Taman Rimba Kiara plot, It comprises a Hindu temple (0.6 acres), the Bukit Kiara longhouses (4.4 acres) and green park land (20 acres).

In April 2014, YWP entered into a joint venture development with a developer, Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, to develop the “carved out” land with an expected gross development value in excess of RM3 billion.

This development involves building eight blocks of 42 to 54 storey high end service apartments, which will be known as Pavilion Taman Tun, and building one 29-storey block of 350 units for the residents of the longhouse.

C4 Center wants the Government to explain why part of a park was allowed to be transferred to a foundation.

“Secondly, what was the reason for allowing a foundation meant to assist low income groups to be involved in a joint venture mega project?” asked Gabriel.

“Thirdly, was there any open tender process for this joint venture?

“Fourthly, was the joint venture deal made at arm’s length?”

Noting that Tengku Adnan had justified the mega project as necessary to subsidize affordable housing for the Bukit Kiara longhouse community, Gabriel asked: “What is the rationale for allowing a developer to build only one block of affordable housing units for the longhouse community while the developer benefits from eight blocks of high-end service apartments?”

Gabriel also noted that the current Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad had said that there was no reason for DBKL to sell the land.

“They (the sales) do not follow the SOPs (standard operating procedures); they do not follow the developments that are approved; they do not follow the guidelines in terms of density, usage and so on and so forth,” Gabriel quoted Khalid as saying.

Last November, Tengku Adnan was charged with two counts of receiving RM3 million from property developers. On the first count, he was charged with accepting RM1 million from a developer as an inducement.

On the second charge, he was alleged to have received RM2 million and the sum was allegedly deposited into the bank account of Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, a company in which Tengku Adnan is the major shareholder. — theedgemarkets.com

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