DBKL task force recommends 20 land transactions to be further investigated

KUALA LUMPUR: The task force set up by the Federal Territories Ministry to investigate the questionable sale of 97 land transactions sold by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has recommended for 20 to be further investigated, while 19 others were proposed to be cancelled. 
 
Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad said the 97 land transactions worth RM5.63bil involved 675.27 acres (273.27 hectares).
 
Khalid added that of the RM5.63bil, DBKL has received RM3.7bil of the total payments made.   
Khalid said the largest land sold was 72.4 hectares, while the smallest was 2,600 square feet. 
 
Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday (Sept 13), Khalid said of the 19 which were proposed by the task force to be cancelled, only 10 were officially cancelled.
 
He said the deposits were returned to the developers while eight other transactions would be renegotiated with the developers. 
 
He also said of the cancelled land transactions, one developer has brought DBKL to court. 
 
Of the 97 land transactions, Khalid also said that another 15 of it have been recommended to be halted and renegotiated on technical grounds. 
He said the negotiation of the 15 land transactions would be completed before Sept 30.  
 
Khalid added that 43 land transactions have been recommended to proceed. 
 
He said 38 of the 43 transactions had no issues, while five others were sold at a much cheaper price than its market value, but was allowed to proceed as the task force found that DBKL had basis for the land transactions to continue.  
 
Khalid clarified that although all the land deals could proceed, but as the cases were under the investigation of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), thus, if any elements of illegality, or fraud was found, DBKL would cancel those transactions and take back the land. 
 
When asked about the involvement of land deals by the Federal Territories Foundation which was helmed by former Federal Territories minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Khalid said that the foundation was only involved in two land deals. 
 
However, he acknowledged that other cases of land deals were under the orders of Tengku Adnan. 
 
“Some of it, not all. He too does not have time to look into all these. So, the person who can give direct orders for DBKL is the Federal Territories Minister and for land under the Federal Territory, it is the Chief Secretary to the Government,” he said. 
 
Khalid also said he did not want to insinuate that there was abuse of power or corruption, as the task force was only made to find out if the land deals benefited DBKL and that if it didn’t, those deals would be renegotiated or cancelled.