KANGAR: The arrest of the Perlis Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director for alleged graft will not affect construction of the final phase of the RM260 million Timah Tasoh West Flood Diversion project in Arau.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man said construction works are on schedule, despite the 60-year-old director's arrest by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Monday.
Azlan said DID officers in the state and at its headquarters are monitoring and supervising the work’s progress.
"As for now, construction works for the final phase of the project have not been affected by the director's arrest," he told reporters after visiting the Jualan Sentuhan Rakyat 2018 Programme at Behor Lateh here on Wednesday.
Azlan was commenting on the arrests of the Perlis DID director and two company owners as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and abuse of power.
Asked whether the arrest of the DID director is related to the delay in construction of the Timah Tasoh project, which led to severe flooding in Tebing Tinggi, Arau last September, Azlan said he is unsure if they are connected.
"I only learnt about the director's arrest from media reports, and I am made to understand that the arrest is related to DID projects in Perlis between 2014 and 2017.
"At the moment, I do not wish to comment further to avoid interfering with MACC's probe," he said.
In September, the delayed RM260 million Timah Tasoh West Flood Diversion project – which was supposed to solve chronic flooding in the Tebing Tinggi area here – became the cause of a massive inundation which forced over 1,000 people from their homes.
The project’s completion, which was set for the middle of last year, has been postponed by over a year to November this year.
It is understood that the final phase of the 22-kilometre canal, which links a water tunnel from Tebing Tinggi to Bukit Wai, is yet to be completed. The canal is supposed to channel running water from the Timah Tasoh dam directly to the Straits of Malacca, near the mouth of the Kuala Perlis river.
It was reported that the MACC had frozen 17 accounts worth RM4 million allegedly belonging to the director, his children and a company owner; and that the graft busters were granted a week-long remand on the director and two company owners for further probes.
The director had allegedly been living a lavish lifestyle since 2014 thanks to kickbacks he received from contractors awarded with projects by the department in the state.
An MACC source revealed that the director had been pocketing 10 per cent of the cost of projects between 2014 and last year; and investigations also revealed that the director used a third party to take on projects awarded by the DID.
On Monday, the MACC seized almost RM900,000 in cash from a house belonging to one of the businessmen; and froze four bank accounts with RM2.9 million belonging to the director and his children.
Their arrests have sparked speculation that the RM260 million Timah Tasoh project has been placed under the MACC’s watch-list.
A source revealed that among the key issues the graft buster is scrutinising is the director's alleged failure to release payment to contractors, resulting in the delay which caused the Tebing Tinggi flood.
Translated from Berita Harian