FT Ministry to probe DBKL sale of land: Khalid

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Territories Ministry is to conduct an internal investigation soon into the alleged sale of 64 lots of government land by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to developers.
The new Federal Territories Minister, Khalid Abdul Samad, said the ministry would give its full cooperation to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) if there were any element of abuse of power, embezzlement and corruption.
However, he said, this was not discussed today, his first day working as the minister.
"This is my first day at the ministry. I do not want to be like an investigator. I want to tackle everything and not just look at one issue.
"I will study this issue and conduct an internal investigation. We will not stop the MACC from conducting an investigation," he told reporters after attending a briefing at Menara Seri Wilayah, here.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng had lodged a report with the MACC urging it to conduct an immediate investigation into the sale of 64 plots of land to the Federal Territory Foundation in 2013.
The DAP leader was reported as saying that since 2013, some 171 ha of land had been sold for RM4.28 billion.
Khalid said the ministry would not compromise if there was an abuse of power and would stress transparency, integrity, trustworthiness and responsibility in its staff.
He also said that the 'River of Life' would be among the projects which would be looked at, especially in terms of cleanliness, waste management and public awareness.
"I want to have a detailed study and I am looking at solutions. There are several issues like implementation, water quality, and waste from illegal industries that require close attention."
In a related development, Khalid said he would be visiting all agencies under the ministry, including in Labuan.
He said he wanted a clearer picture of the administrative process and environment in each agency so that the ministry could provide the best service to the people in the federal territories. — Bernama