This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 23, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: C4 Center has urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate former minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (pic) and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) over the land deal relating to the Taman Rimba Kiara park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).

The anti-graft watchdog claims there are serious conflicts of interest in the dealings between Tengku Adnan and the directors of a number of companies linked to the deal.

“The connection between Tengku Adnan and the directors of the companies will raise queries as to serious conflicts of interest in the dealings.

“It appears Tengku Adnan could have abused his position by making decisions in ways that will provide personal benefits and favouritism to his associates and family members,” C4 Center executive director Cynthia Gabriel said in a statement yesterday.

She said Tengku Adnan, as the federal territories minister and chairman of YWP at the time, had direct oversight of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the then mayor, Tan Sri Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz, who was also a director of YWP.

Gabriel noted TTDI residents have been protesting the proposed high-rise development project at the park for the past two years, even calling for the park to be gazetted as a public space to prevent development from taking place.

In 2014, YWP procured the issuance of a title to itself for 12 acres (4.86ha) of the 25-acre Taman Rimba Kiara plot, It comprises a Hindu temple (0.6 acres), the Bukit Kiara longhouses (4.4 acres) and a green park land (20 acres).

In April 2014, YWP entered into a joint-venture development with developer Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd to develop the “carved out” land with an expected gross development value in excess of RM3 billion.

This development involves building eight blocks of 42- to 54-storey high-end service apartments, known as Pavilion Taman Tun, and one 29-storey block of 350 units for residents of the longhouses.

C4 Center wants the government to explain why part of a park was allowed to be transferred to a foundation.

“Secondly, what was the reason for allowing a foundation meant to assist low-income groups to be involved in a joint-venture megaproject,” asked Gabriel.

“Thirdly, was there any open tender for this joint venture?” and “fourthly, was the joint-venture deal made at an arm’s length?”

Noting Tengku Adnan had justified the megaproject as necessary to subsidise affordable housing for the Bukit Kiara longhouse community, Gabriel asked: “What is the rationalisation for allowing a developer to build only one block of affordable housing units for the longhouse community while the developer benefits from eight blocks of high-end service apartments?”

Gabriel also noted the current Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad had said there was no reason for DBKL to sell the land.

“They (the sales) do not follow SOPs (standard operating procedures); they do not follow the developments that are being approved; they do not follow the guidelines in terms of density, usage and so on and so forth,” Gabriel quoted Khalid as saying.

Last November, Tengku Adnan was charged with two counts of receiving RM3 million from property developers. On the first count, he was charged with accepting RM1 million from a developer as an inducement. On the second charge, he was alleged to have received RM2 million and the sum was allegedly deposited into the bank account of Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, in which Tengku Adnan is a major shareholder.