Pac May Summon Loke Over Alleged Rm500mil Loss In Mahb Deal

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PAC chairman Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said a list of those to be called has been prepared.
PETALING JAYA: The Public Accounts Committee has not ruled out summoning transport minister Loke Siew Fook to testify on allegations of a RM500 million loss in the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) privatisation deal.
PAC chairman Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the “relevant people”, including Loke, would be called to testify in stages, with proceedings set to begin in the second week of this month.
“We previously summoned (representatives from) MAHB to discuss various issues. With regards to airport management, PAC has already outlined terms of reference for proceedings that will cover all related issues.
“These include MAHB’s delisting from Bursa Malaysia’s main market under the Gateway Development Alliance (GDA) consortium as well as concerns over expensive air fares and delays in the aerotrain installation at Kuala Lumpur International Airport,” she was quoted by Berita Harian as saying.
“A list of those who will be called has been prepared. I do not rule out summoning the transport minister as well, given issues related to the aerotrain services,” she said, adding that it is important to obtain his comment on the matter.
Loke previously expressed his dissatisfaction with MAHB, citing inefficiencies and delays in addressing key issues such as the aerotrain replacement project at KLIA.
The aerotrain system has been suspended since March 2023, and Loke said that despite the aerotrain being under MAHB’s purview, he has been receiving daily complaints about it.
Last month, MAHB managing director Izani Ghani announced that the aerotrain service is expected to resume by the second quarter of this year, with all testing for the system to be completed by April. The project was previously expected to be completed by Jan 31.
Critics of the MAHB privatisation deal have claimed that EPF lost RM500 million in stock trading from buying back MAHB shares at higher prices after selling them at lower rates.
MCA president Wee Ka Siong said EPF’s stake in MAHB dropped from 15% to under 6% in 2023 before it repurchased shares in 2024 amid the takeover deal.
GDA comprises EPF, Khazanah Nasional Bhd-backed UEM Group Bhd, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners. - FMT

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