PETALING JAYA, 26 Feb 2009: More dirt against the former Barisan Nasional (BN)-led Selangor government is being dug up as auditors engaged by the current Pakatan Rakyat government go through the financial records of the state’s subsidiaries.
In the latest hint of impropriety by Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) under the former BN government, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has directed the company to submit a list to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) of all benefits in kind given to its employees.
He said PNSB had failed to declare the benefits in the Employee Assessment (EA) forms handed to the IRB.
“The directive is to ensure that the state subsidiary (PNSB) does not run foul of income tax laws,” said Khalid, who is the current chairperson of PNSB and Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI).
The benefits in kind have included cars, drivers, and local and overseas holidays. The holiday benefits were given to all PNSB staff, while cars and drivers were provided only to the chief executive cum director, senior managers and managers.
Among those who benefited was former MB and previous PNSB chairperson Datuk Seri Mohammad Khir Toyo, who was provided with a Toyota Harrier in 2005, and a driver in 2006.
“Khir used these benefits until he resigned as PNSB chairman in March 2008. However, none of these benefits were included in the EA forms submitted by PNSB earlier. Petrol and vehicle maintenance of the Harrier was also paid by PNSB,” Khalid said in a press statement today.
In the past week, Khalid has exposed alleged improprieties by PNSB during Khir’s tenure.
Khalid has implicated Khir in an unrecorded RM25.6 million property purchase in Saudi Arabia, which involved attempts to dispose some of the property units to an unknown individual.
Two of PNSB’s top executives have also been ordered to take leave pending investigations on the company’s financial records.
Yesterday at a press conference after the weekly state executive councilors’ meeting, Khalid said he would be exposing more wrongdoing if he found evidence.
