Crime & Courts

Tan Sri Robert Tan arrives in court to face charges

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Robert Tan Hua Choon has arrived at the court complex here and is expected to face charges related to a government fleet vehicle contract

The tycoon walked into the building at about 8.13am accompanied by several individuals.

Checks with the judiciary system showed that the businessman will be brought before Judge Suzana Husin at 9am. 

A source close to the investigation said he will face charges under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

The offence carries a jail term of between one and 10 years for whipping, as well as a fine, upon conviction.

In January, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission raided Tan's residence for an investigation into allegations of corruption involving the procurement and management of the government's fleet of vehicles worth RM4.5 billion.

The graftbusters also raided four companies, including a government vehicle supplier.

Over 100 private accounts and companies under the companies' control were also reportedly obtained by the MACC for further investigation.

However, no account freezes were imposed.

The concession to supply and manage government vehicles has been held by Spanco Sdn Bhd since 1993.

However, after the contract ended in 2019, an open tender was launched.

Berjaya Group and Naza Sdn Bhd later formed a consortium and secured the contract through a Letter of Intent (LOI) in that year.

Last July, Berjaya's founder, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, filed a lawsuit against the Finance Ministry and Spanco regarding the terminated LOI, alleging that the contract was awarded to Spanco despite their higher bid.

Tan's claims prompted calls for an MACC investigation, but there were no developments until the recent raid.

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