Malacca Reclamation Project No Conflict Of Interest Claims Umno Man

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A former Malacca deputy executive council member said there was no conflict of interest arising from his time in office and his involvement in a company that was awarded a land reclamation project.
When contacted today, Ghazale Muhamad - a former Rim assemblyperson - said when the state government under then chief minister Idris Haron in 2015 decided on the companies participating in the project, he was the deputy cabinet member in charge of tourism, beaches, rivers and islands.
"I'm not in charge of land or economic planning... If there is a cabinet meeting, the deputies do not attend.
"If there is a full cabinet meeting, all the deputies will be present but I am only responsible for tabling matters related to tourism," he said.
Ghazale (above) has a 40 percent stake in BBM Ventures Sdn Bhd. The company was incorporated in January 2015. It was awarded the land reclamation contract in February 2017.
BBM Ventures was one of four companies that won the contract. The other three companies are Dewi Pertiwi Development Sdn Bhd (DPDSB), Golden Straits Development Sdn Bhd (GSDSB) and Nusa Waja Sdn Bhd (NWSB)
Public records show that Malacca Umno deputy chief Mohamad Ali Mohamad and his wife Rosefouziah Salleh are shareholders in all four companies.
Senator Mohamad Ali MohamadGhazale said that he was not the main stakeholder of BBM Ventures and that the other two shareholders - Mohamad and Rosefouziah - controlled the company.
"They have a bigger stake and they are running the company. I'm just their partner," he added.
The land reclamation project is one parcel of the ambitious Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (M-Wez) which in turn is a rebranded version of the Najib Abdul Razak-era Malacca Gateway project.
This project will alter the 33km of Malacca's coast, along with the old parts of the state. - Mkini

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