Liong Sik forgets own PKFZ testimony
UPDATED @ 07:32:13 PM 18-07-2012
A visibly confused Dr Ling told the High Court that he could not remember how he had testified yesterday. — file picKUALA LUMPUR, July 18 ― Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik today admitted that he has forgotten his own testimony to court over the past few days when he was defending himself against charges of cheating the government over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ).
A visibly confused Dr Ling told the High Court here that he could not remember how he had testified yesterday when he was asked by his lawyer if he had seen a few documents before being charged in court last July.
The former transport minister made the admission when grilled today during cross-examination by lead prosecutor Datuk Tun Majid Tun Hamzah.
Tun Majid had put it to Dr Ling that while the latter was giving his witness statement to the police in April 2010, he had been shown Cabinet minutes dated October 2, 2002.
“I am saying now that this document was shown and referred to you during this recording of the statement,” the lawyer asked.
“I can’t remember,” Dr Ling replied.
“So are you changing your testimony today? Yesterday or day before yesterday you said you were never shown this document (the minutes) at all before you were charged. Now you can’t remember?” Tun Majid asked again.
“Yeah, I can’t remember,” Dr Ling replied.
Dr Ling was charged in July last year.“I can’t remember,” Dr Ling repeated.
Tun Abdul Majid also repeatedly asked if the former transport minister was shown notes from his ministry requesting the Cabinet to purchase the land via willing buyer-willing seller basis.
Dr Ling was allowed to read the notes as he was “trying to remember”, but he took a long time in doing so before the prosecutor resumed questioning him.
“Do you remember when you told us, when posed a question by your counsel, that you saw these two documents after you were charged? It was yesterday.”
Trial judge Justice Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi also stepped in to ask: “You remember saying this yesterday?”
“No, I don’t remember,” Dr Ling replied.
When pressed by the prosecutor and judge, Dr Ling answered: “I don’t remember the police bringing any documents.”
The former MCA president is facing the possibility of a seven-year jail term, or fine, or both, for allegedly deceiving the Cabinet into approving the purchase of 999.5 acres of land for the PKFZ project, which had resulted in wrongful losses for the government.
He also faces two alternative charges of deceiving the Cabinet into believing that the terms of purchase — at RM25 psf plus 7.5 per cent interest — were acknowledged and agreed to by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) despite knowing that there was no such agreement.
The trial resumes on September 24.
