THE SELANGOR SAND-MINING SCANDAL

VIDEO CORRUPTION IN SELANGOR

By : RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN

ON 18TH January 2010, Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd, submitted an application to mine sand in Dengkil (Sepang, Selangor), an area of 45 acres. The letter was copied to Mat Suhaimi Shafiei and Amirudin Shari.

Amirudin Shari supported the application and signed the ‘letter of support’. An important point to note is that Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin were both registered as Directors of Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd on that same day, 18th January 2010. And this is no coincidence.

This story involves Mat Suhaimi Shafiei, the State Assemblyman for Sri Muda, and Amirudin Shari, the State Assemblyman for Batu Caves (photos below).

On 23rd May 2009, at around 5.00pm, a meeting was held between a sand contractor (hereinafter referred to as ‘SC’) and Mat Suhaimi Shafiei in the Sunway Hotel in Seberang Prai, mainland Penang. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss sand-mining in Selangor.

Mat Suhaimi asked SC to submit an application to mine sand to Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd with a copy to him (Mat Suhaimi). Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd is a Selangor state owned company involved in the mining and selling of sand in Selangor.

On 2nd July 2009, at around noon, a meeting was held in Mat Suhaimi’s office where he instructed SC to incorporate a company called Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd (company number 308078W).

The Directors of the company are:

1. Adnan Bin Abd Mokhtar (IC number 691119-10-5105)

2. Siti Rosmaliza Binti Meo Rasli (IC number 751115-08-5026)

3. Marzaniyah Binti Arshad (IC number 721127-08-5444)

4. Mat Suhaimi Bin Shafiei (IC number 680227-08-5275)

5. Amirudin Bin Shari (IC number 800208-01-6059)

The Director’s fees for Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin was agreed at RM5,000 per month.

On 18th January 2010, Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd, submitted an application to mine sand in Dengkil (Sepang, Selangor), an area of 45 acres. The letter was copied to Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin Shari. Amirudin Shari supported the application and signed the ‘letter of support’. (See the letter below).

An important point to note is that Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin were both registered as Directors of Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd on that same day, 18th January 2010. And this is no coincidence. (See the copy of the Form 49 from the Registrar of Companies below).

Before that, however, let us trace what happened prior to 18th January 2010.

On 15th August 2009, at around 10.00pm, Mat Suhaimi contacted SC and asked him for RM3,000 in cash as election campaign funds. At 2.30pm the next day, SC went over to Mat Suhaimi’s office to hand over the cash.

At about 10.30am on 25th August 2009, SC handed over another RM2,000 in cash to Mat Suhaimi. The meeting was held in room 1514 of the Pearl View Hotel in Seberang Prai, Penang.

On 9th September 2009, Mat Suhaimi contacted SC and asked for RM35,000 as ‘Ramadhan expenses’. The next night, at about 11.25pm, they met at the Restoran Nasi Kandar in USJ12 where SC handed Mat Suhaimi the cash.

It was clearly stated that all this money was payment to assist Double Dignity (M) Sdn Bhd in getting approval from Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd on its application to mine sand in Selangor. Mat Suhaimi told SC that they would need to pay off certain people in Kumpulan Semesta.

On 16th September 2009, Mat Suhaimi contacted SC and told him that he wanted to organise a ‘majlis berbuka puasa’. Mat Suhaimi asked SC to organise it and, of course, pay the cost. Mat Suhaimi also asked SC for his RM5,000 monthly Director’s fees.

On 17th September 2009, the majlis berbuka puasa (breaking fast) was held in the coffeehouse of the Legend Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. That same night, around 8.45pm, SC paid Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin Shari their Director’s fees of RM5,000 each.

A few days later, Mat Suhaimi contacted SC and asked for RM10,000 to pay for the cost of a ‘jamuan Hari Raya’. On 30th September 2009, SC met Mat Suhaimi at the Jaya Jusco in Kelang to hand over the money.

On 5th January 2010, Mat Suhaimi contacted SC and asked for RM50,000. This time the amount was not paid in cash like all the previous amounts before this but was paid directly into the bank account of Syarikat A&L Norash Enterprise (account number 100070023904) at Affin Bank in Kelang. The transaction was made on 11th January 2010 (see below).

Norash Enterprise is a company owned by Ashmali Bin Osman and his wife, Norlela Binti Ahmad, close friends of Mat Suhaimi.

RM10,000 was taken out in cash, RM12,500 was paid to Farahsyamsyawati Bt Sulaiman (banker’s cheque number 0070210000117), and RM27,500 was paid to Smart Renovators Sdn Bhd (banker’s cheque number 0070210000118) on the instructions of Mat Suhaimi.

As follows is the tapped telephone conversation between Mat Suhaimi (telephone number 019-6185239) and SC (telephone number 019-3958888) on 6th January 2010.

SC: …itulah…pasal yang YB mintak 50 ribu nak ape…nak pakai 50 ribu boleh takde masalah…dalam minggu depan boleh?

Mat Suhaimi: Dalam minggu depan ye…

SC: Pasal saya nak setelkan akaun sikit…

Mat Suhaimi: Okay…

SC: Lepas tu takde masalah lah…

Mat Suhaimi: okay, okay, okay, hari Isnin boleh?

SC: Hari Isnin boleh…lagi satu YB…say mintak tolong satu…saya di Batang Kali ada tanah…geran…nak keluar pasir…pasir banyak lagi tu…

Mat Suhaimi: Berapa besar tanah tu?

SC: Dia 100 lebih ekar…

Mat Suhaimi: Nanti saya bincang dengan Azmin….tapi kena bayarlah…Azmin sedang collect duit untuk pilehanraya…

SC: ah, okay, okay…nanti kita bincang.

On 11th January 2010, SC phoned Mat Suhaimi and the conversation was as follows:

SC: Konfirm ye nombor ini?....Affin Bank ni?...

Mat Suhaimi: Confirm, confirm, confirm…

SC: Ni company…company siapa ni YB?

Mat Suhaimi: Ini….company…yang supply….yang buat event….

SC: okay, okay, okay, okay…confirm ye boleh masuk ye?

Mat Suhaimi: Ya, ya…

SC: Takut lah…nanti tak sampai kepada YB…

Mat Suhaimi: Jangan risau…okay…

SC: Nanti kalau boleh saya contact YB lah…so ini saya masukkan 50 ribu dalam akaun ini…confirm ye…

Mat Suhaimi: ha, okay, okay…yang Amir punya ada dengan Amir…

And then the whole thing exploded (see the Bernama report below). However, the MACC can’t seem to proceed with the investigation and, two years on, this case is still ‘under investigation’. Malaysia Today has all the evidence, including the tapped telephone conversation on tape, while the MACC does not appear able to proceed with the investigation.

Why is this? Is this because they have made a ‘deal’ with Mat Suhaimi and Amirudin, like they did with those two PKR state assemblymen from Perak (Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Osman Jailu) who were also caught with their pants down and then jumped ship to escape going to jail?

I suppose it is more useful to keep the investigation open and leave these two as Trojan horses in Pakatan Rakyat Selangor. A Trojan horse is certainly worth many times more than a man in jail. This is the kind of stuff Sun Tzu is made of.

Yes, the same thing happened in Perak. And that brought the Pakatan Rakyat government down when the two PKR state assemblymen caught red-handed in a criminal act were ‘persuaded’ to change sides. Now, again, we have another two PKR state assemblymen in Selangor who are also caught in a criminal act.

But Pakatan Rakyat has too many seats in Selangor compared to Perak. So even if these two are made to jump that will still not allow Umno to take back the state. So better just leave them there, but on a tight leash, and get them to work as termites, gnawing from the inside to do as much damage as they can.

I remember His Highness the Sultan saying that he can work with any party as long as the state is well run and is corruption free. His Highness also said that he will not tolerate corruption and wants the culprits exposed.

Well Tuanku, as a loyal subject and kerabat of Selangor, I am just doing what Tuanku titah, revealing corruption, never mind which side of the political divide that perpetuates it.

Oh, and for those who are about to say, ”Why now?” Well, then when? After Nomination Day and just before Polling Day when by then it would be too late as Umno would probably go to town on the matter? At least, now, Pakatan Rakyat still has time to do something about it and convince the voters it is running a clean and transparent government. Or are they not running a clean and transparent government?

Anyway, stay tuned for more as Malaysia Today reveals more shenanigans in the State of Selangor. Yes, there is more, much more to come. And you better believe it because I have just started.

MACC Still Investigating Selangor Sand-Mining Scandal: Nazri

(Bernama, 24 June 2010) -- The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) will continue investigations into the alleged graft in the Selangor sand-mining scandal against state sand-mining concession Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said MACC would investigate the allegations thoroughly and not leave any stones unturned during the course of investigations.

"Once investigations are completed, the investigation papers will be handed over to the Deputy Public Prosecutor," he told Wee Choo Keong (Bebas-Wangsa Maju) in a written reply at the Dewan Rakyat here today.

Wee had wanted to know whether any action had been taken or would be taken by MACC over a report made by Kapar Member of Parliament S. Manikavasagam (PKR) with regard to the alleged sand-mining graft involving Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd.

Mohamed Nazri said MACC had already taken action on illegal sand-mining syndicates in a number of states, including Selangor.

"So far, 42 offenders have been detained and 22 cases have been filed in court," he said.