PUTRAJAYA: Former Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid was questioned for five hours by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday.
MACC’s director of investigations Datuk Simi Abdul Ghani, when contacted, confirmed that Mahdzir was called to the MACC headquartershere to assist in investigations into a solar hybrid project contract for 369 rural schools in Sarawak.
“Mahdzir gave his statement from 10am to 3pm yesterday. It was in connection with the solar panel project for schools in Sarawak,” he said when contacted today.
On July 9, a former special officer to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was arrested following allegations that he had solicited money from a company awarded to install solar panels in Sarawak schools.
Sources said the 44-year-old with ‘Datuk’ title had also served Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Najib’s wife.
Previously the Sarawak Report had reported that Najib had signed and personally pushed through the RM1.25 billion project, which was awarded to a car rental company in Bintulu, purporting to install solar energy supplies for 369 Sarawak schools in the interior.
The report also claimed that letters signed by Najib clearly authorised for the Education Ministry’s strict rules on tendering and price negotiation to be over-ruled during the awarding of the project and later for payments to continue to be made, even though the terms of the contract were not fulfilled by the company.
It also reported that Education Ministry staff who raised concerns about quality control were transferred from their posts while reports to the police and MACC were ignored right up until the last election.