Siasat Perwaja!: Lim Guan Eng Cabar Mahathir:-Pemuda keADILan Selangor

Oleh : Farina Farid

Lim Guan Eng, bekas ahli parlimen Kota Melaka, memfailkan pembelaannya dalam kes saman malu bekas ketua pengarah Perwaja Steel, Eric Chia, di Mahkamah Sivil pagi ini.

“I’m here today to file my defence on the defamation suit brought by former Perwaja Steel director, Tan Sri Datuk Eric Chia against me for defamation, in relation on a report I lodged to the ACA (Anti-Corruption Acency), almost six years ago.”

Hal ini berikutan laporannya kepada polis dan Badan Pencegah Rasuah pada tahun 1996. Laporan tersebut mendakwa Chia terlibat dalam skandal rasuah yang melibatkan jutaan ringgit.

Chia dalam saman sivilnya menyatakan Guan Eng telah mencemarkan nama baiknya dengan membuat tuduhan-tuduhan yang tidak berasas.

Bagaimanapun, menurut Guan Eng, Perdana Menteri, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad sendiri telah mengesahkan Perwaja telah mengalami kerugian RM10 billion dan terdapat penyelewengan wang di syarikat tersebut.

“I wish to urge the Prime Minister, in view of his comments or remarks he gave the student in London on the 24 of February in replying the questions by the student. Where he said that, the government does not deny to have lost RM10 biilion in Perwaja. And also mentions that, I quote the Prime Minister,” We brought a businessmen to run it, but he too caused a lot of losses, it is believe that he has mismanaged and taken money from the company. We are still doing investigation, if there is any evidence at all we will bring the people to court and face the consenquences of their mismanagement and misappriotion of funds .”

Guan Eng berkata komen ini telah membuktikan terdapatnya seseorang individu yang rasuah dan menyalahgunaan kuasa . Oleh itu, katanya, kerajaan patut menjalankan siasatan dengan segera ke atas kes ini, bersandarkan pengakuan Dr. Mahathir.

Guan Eng diwakili peguam Karpal Singh.