RM1.7 million spent by Khir Toyo's entourage on Disneyland trip

SHAH ALAM, Wed: A Selangor Government subsidiary spent about RM1.7 million for the former Selangor menteri besar’s trip to Disneyland Paris and Disney World in Florida. Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo went on the visits with his wife, three children, and other officials. His maid is also believed to have followed them on the trips.

This was revealed on the final day of the Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency hearing into the financial affairs of Selangor Elected Representatives Wives Welfare Association (Balkis).

Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd chief executive officer Datin Khairiyah Abu Hassan said RM420,000 was spent on a “technical visit” to Morocco and Disneyland Paris from Dec 17 to 24, 2004.

Dr Khir, the former PNSB chairman, also spent four days in transit in Dubai which cost the firm another RM10,000 for his accommodation.

Khairiyah said PNSB also paid RM366,000 for an advance team trip which surveyed the places before Dr Khir’s delegation went to Morocco and Disneyland Paris.
Khairiyah, who looked resigned by the questioning by Selcat chairman Teng Chang Khim, said the Morocco trip was to learn about architecture and Islamic building design and Moorish art.

She said the Disneyland visit was to gain technical knowledge to develop a similar theme park in Bagan Lalang, Sepang.

For the 10-day “technical trip” to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and a visit to Honolulu, PNSB spent almost RM750,000 including US$30,000 (RM110,000 at that time) in cash for transportation and meals. Of the total, RM110,000 was for Dr Khir’s presidential suite.

Khairiyah said the group did not meet with the Disneyland management team during both visits, but bought tickets and hired a tour guide.

“You cannot gain technical knowledge from a tourist guide. Both look more like leisure trips as the dates were in December,” Teng said.

Dr Khir also went on a working visit to Jakarta and Jogjakarta from April 20 to 24, 2003, costing PNSB RM38,000, including for first class tickets for Dr Khir, Zaharah and their daughter, an economy class ticket for their maid and three nights accommodation in a presidential suite.

PNSB forked out almost RM9,000 for the maid alone.

Khairiyah said the trip was to learn about the batik industry as PNSB had been appointed to lead Selangor’s batik industry. Dr Khir travelled in a hired Mercedes Benz limousine costing RM2,900 daily.

PNSB also paid RM1,200 for traditional dancers during the welcoming ceremony. “So we welcomed ourselves?” Teng asked.

Meanwhile, Teng said Dr Khir and his wife Datin Seri Zaharah Kechik have lost the chance to explain to the public what actually happened in a state agency and Balkis by not turning up for the Selcat hearing.

Selcat, he said, will hold a meeting to discuss the testimonies and scrutinise all documents submitted during the hearing. “Then we will prepare a report to be tabled before the next sitting of the assembly in July,” he said.

Commenting on state Registrar of Societies (ROS) deputy registrar Mohd Yunus Jamil’s failure to submit a copy of the notice for a meeting to dissolve Balkis, Teng said ROS should be more cooperative.

“Since they refused to produce the documents for which any member of the public is entitled to, we have no option but to invoke Section 114 of the Evidence Act 1950 which is adverse presumption against ROS.

Section 114 states that it is presumed that facts or documents are unfavourable to the person who holds it when it needs to be produced but was not.

“In this case, the notice for a meeting to dissolve Balkis was alleged to have been sent and filed with ROS,” he said. “The fact that they refused to produce it when they could be produced means that the documents may be unfavourable to them,” he said.

(NST)
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KDEB paid for flight tickets of Balkis members to go souvenier shopping

SHAH ALAM : Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB) paid for the flight tickets of seven members of the now defunct Selangor assemblymen and MPs wives charity organisation (Balkis) for a “souvenier shopping” trip to Guangzhou, China on May 2007. The cost of flight tickets for one business class and six economy class seats was RM17,438, KDEB head Datuk Abdul Karim Munisar told the Select Committee on Competance, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) of the Selangor State Assembly on the first day of its probe into contributions disbursed to Balkis. Abdul Karim said the company paid more than RM206,000 for the souvenirs from China which included a few hundred stalks of artificial flowers in various colours and 2,700 hats – 900 in red, yellow and purple colours respectively. This was despite the fact that the invoice indicates that the supplier has a local branch based in Kuala Lumpur. The entire cost was absorbed by KDEB which is a state investment arm under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. Abdul Karim added that KDEB had spent a total RM65,300 to buy Songket material to be given as gifts to the Sultan, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali at a function hosted by Balkis in February 2006 and about RM25,000 for souvenir chocolates. The company also paid RM100,000 for dinner organised by Balkis at the Sunway Lagoon Resort and Spa Hotel on July 24, 2007. This was a week before the association co-hosted three dinners costing RM450,000. The first two dinners on Aug 2 and 3 were held at the same venue and the third on Aug 4 was held at the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park hotel. The cost was borne by the state government with the approval of the financial officer and endorsement of the executive council (exco). Datuk Abdul Karim Munisar Grilled by the Selcat which is chaired by Selangor state assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim on Monday over these payments KDEB made under its CSR programme president Karim Munisar said: “We do not question the relevance of this as it was determined by the previous state government, and there are no criteria or guidelines. Now KDEB is under a new government and if they change the policy and stipulate guidelines pertaining CSR programmes, then we will adhere to it.” Karim was one of the four witnesses who testified before the seven member Selcat panel made up of five Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen and two Barisan Nasional representatives. The other Selcat members are Bkit Antarabangsa state assemblyman Azmin Ali, Taman Medan assemblyman Haniza Talha, Ulu Kelang assemblyman Shaari Sungib, Bukit Gasing assemblyman Edward Lee, Dusun Tua assemblyman Ismail Sani (BN), and Permatang assemblyman Sulaiman Abdul Razak (BN). He said if the president approves the appeal for funding from organisations like Balkis then the board would have to endorse it. Asked what would happen if he had not approved it, Karim replied: “Susah lah! (that’s hard)”. Several state company representatives and their subsidiaries also admitted that they were obliged to pay for the cost incurred by Balkis saying it was a practice which they did not question. The heads and former managers of the companies said that although they agreed to pay for expenditures, the approvals were based on estimates. The final cost would be paid to suppliers based on based on bills that Balkis forwarded to the companies. Earlier during the morning session, state secretary Datuk Ramli Mahmud said the CSR guidelines for state companies are determined by the companies themselves and that there was no fixed guideline. “It is for the CEOs to decide on based on their budget allocations,” he said. Ramli also denied that where the state was concerned there was no special treatment for Balkis as the organisation had to write in to ask for financial assistance if they wanted it. He said the RM450,000 contribution for Balkis dinner at the Sunway Lagoon Resort and Spa Hotel and the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park Hotel were a one-off contribution to the organisation and the state took into account the fact that the organisation was run by the wives of state representatives. Datuk Ramli Mahmud We received the endorsement of the state executive council (exco) and the financial officer to host the three events which wives of elected representatives from all 13 states in the country attended , with Balkis as the co-host, he added. Meanwhile former Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) general manager Datuk Harun Salim agreed with the committee when asked if PKNS was a “tukang bayar” (pay master) for Balkis as the association would forward its bills to the company to be paid. He said the organisation would usually forward requests to the company to sponsor some of its programmes and admitted that the company usually felt obliged to support Balkis. Harun however denied that he was concerned about repercussions if he did not endorse the sponsorships because he said his performance and the profits of the company were good. Therefore this was not a reason he took into account when approving the soponsorships. PKNS and its subsidiaries had also contributed large sums to Balkis including RM300,000 for the three dinners held on Aug 2,3 and 4. Pebadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Selangor (PKPS) Mohd Nordin Darhan who also testified before Selcat said the company had on Jan 2006 contributed RM46,000 for the officiating of Balkis complex in Section 7, Shah Alam including the cost of 150 fruit hampers for guests.

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Khir and wife ordered to attend public hearing

SHAH ALAM: Former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and wife Datin Seri Zahrah Kechik have been called to answer in a public inquiry from March 23 to 31.

The two are among 11 witnesses asked to explain the more than RM1mil sponsorship received by the Wives of Selangor State Assemblymen and MPs Charity and Welfare Organisation (Balkis).

Zahrah was the Balkis chairman during Dr Khir’s tenure as Mentri Besar.

The historical public inquiry is called by the Special Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) set up under the state assembly.

Selcat chairman Teng Chang Khim stressed that those called up were termed as witnesses, and their role was to help the committee identify weaknesses to assist in improving the state administration.

Teng said the police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency Commission could not use information gathered at the inquiry against any of the witnesses.

The witnesses, he said, were protected by the House immunity guaranteed by the state legislation

“The outcome of the hearing will be tabled at the next state assembly sitting,” he told a press conference at the sidelines of the state assembly yesterday.

Some 200 people, comprising government officials, non-governmental organisation representatives, members of the public and journalists are expected to attend the inquiry held before the seven-member Selcat team.

The public hearing can be viewed live on the state government’s official website www.selangor.gov.my. Teng, also the Selangor Speaker, said the order to attend the inquiry had been served to all witnesses except one, currently overseas.

Three main companies involved in the sponsorships were also expected to be called-up.

Teng said Selcat had compiled evidence and called 11 meetings since it began probe into Balkis from May last year.

Besides Balkis, Selcat had also initiated investigations into the alleged hasty spending of annual allocations by previous elected representatives before the general election last year.

(TheStar)





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Azmin alleges Khir Toyo's wife visited Tokyo Disneyland on state funds

Azmin Ali: Khir Toyo's wife misused state funds for overseas holidays.

Shah Alam, - Bukit Antarabangsa state assemblyman Azmin Ali today accused the wife of former mentri besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo of misusing state funds for overseas holidays, including a 2007 trip to Tokyo Disneyland.

He told the Selangor state assembly today that government records showed that the Wives of Selangor Assemblymen and MPs Welfare and Charity Organisation (Balkis) headed by Datin Seri Zahrah Kechik also misused "welfare allocations" to buy clothing and accesories.

Balkis was dissolved on March 11 before Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was sworn-in as Selangor Menteri Besar on March 13, 2008.

In 2007, state investment arm Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad (PNSB) recorded RM1.2 million ringgit in traveling costs which also included Balkis' technical visits, said Azmin.

He told the assembly that he has records to show Balkis made a "technical visit" to Tokyo Disneyland.

"Technical visit for what to Disneyland? Do they want to visit Mickey Mouse? If they visited industries in Tokyo and Europe, I would have still accepted it. Even if they have visited the industries in Mongolia, I would still have considered it," he argued.

The records also showed that Balkis also made "technical visits" to Korea and Hong Kong after Tokyo.

Balkis had also received a huge allocation from PNSB for welfare purposes but initial reports received by Azmin Ali showed the funds were used for the members' attires and accessories.

"What is this? If what I said are false accusations, I am willing to be brought to court," he said.

Azmin asked that a report be presented in the State Assembly on the results from the technical visits especially to Tokyo Disneyland.

He also accused PNSB of mishandling of funds and corruption in its acquisition of properties in Mecca.

The Selangor Menteri Besar's office had earlier revealed that the Barisan Nasional state government made unauthorized investments for properties in Mecca, Saudi Arabia worth RM17.5 million in 2007.

The Director of PNSB only authorized the buying of 5 units of apartments but instead 12 units were bought and they were registered under a personal name. Seven of the units were then sold back to an identified person and there was no official receipt to legitimize the transaction. (TMI)

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