Dr M to be witness in Dr Ling's cheating trial

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be called as a witness at the trial of former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik in the RM1.08 billion cheating case relating to the Port Klang Free Trade Zone (PKFZ).


The issue of calling Dr Mahathir to testify came up after deputy public
prosecutor Datuk Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah who is leading the prosecution team,
questioned second witness Datuk Sahari Mahadi on a letter dated June 29,

2002, written by Dr Ling to Dr Mahathir, the prime minister at that time.

After the question was posted to Sahari, former director of the Shah Alam

Valuation and Property Services Department (VPSD), Tun Abd Majid told judge
Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi who presided over the trial that the prosecution would call
the former prime minister as a witness relating to the letter.


The letter written by Dr Ling to Dr Mahathir was to inform that negotiations
between the Port Klang Authority (PKA) and Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) had been
held on the purchase of the land based on conditions and terms agreed by VSPD.

Dr Ling, 68, faces an amended principle charge of cheating the Malaysian

government by deliberately concealing from the Cabinet the additional
interest rate of 7.5 per cent a year on the purchase price of a land in Pulau
Indah based on RM25 per sq ft, which came to RM1,088,456,000, when he knew that
the VPSD had taken into account the coupon/interest rate when the rate was
fixed.

He also faces two amended alternative charges of cheating the government by
not exposing to the Cabinet the facts relating to the interest rate, and
cheating the Cabinet into believing that the facts relating to the purchase of
the land were certified and agreed to by the VPSD when he knew there was no such
consent. -- BERNAMA