Full hearing for Taman Rimba Kiara appeal fixed for Jan 15

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 23): The Court of Appeal (COA) has fixed a full hearing of the controversial Taman Rimba Kiara (TRK) development case for Jan 15, 2020.

Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) residents have filed their appeal to the COA against the High Court's dismissal of their judicial review to challenge the approval for the development at TRK.

The court had yesterday conducted a hearing to decide on a preliminary issue regarding documents to be used for the appeal. The court was also informed of a possible approval from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) of a reduced scope of the said development.

Meanwhile, during the hearing on the preliminary issue yesterday, it was discovered that Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram has been engaged as counsel for DBKL in the case. He is also leading the prosecution of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's 1MDB case as senior deputy public prosecutor (DPP).

In 2014, Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) entered into a joint venture with Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malton Bhd to develop a 25-acre site at TRK. TTDI residents had protested against the proposed eight blocks of high-end serviced apartments and one block of affordable housing apartments which had gained conditional planning permission and development order by DBKL.

Following protests by TTDI residents, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad had proposed a scaled-down development plan to comprise four blocks of serviced apartments and 204 affordable housing units.