Khir Toyo's corruption charges, it's not over yet

The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has been urged to look into possible tax evasion by former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo in relation to his lavish Shah Alam mansion.

Faekah Husin (left), political secretary to the present Selangor menteri besar, said this was necessary because Khir had been charged with buying two plots of land at a substantial, and thus suspicious, discount.

“Investigations (by the IRB) are necessary to ascertain whether taxes paid on the property were based on the actual cost of the land... this includes the stamp duty.

“This matter cannot be viewed lightly because avoiding taxes by under-declaring (property) is a serious offence,” she said in a statement today.

On Monday, Mohd Khir, 45, pleaded not guilty to charges of accepting two plots of land for RM3.5 million when the said lots were bought by Ditamas Sdn Bhd managing director Shamsuddin Haryoni for RM6.5 million.

Khir was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code for knowingly accepting a bribe. Shamsuddin, 52, was charged under the same law, and they can be jailed up to two years each if convicted.

Shamsuddin was also charged with abetting Khir in the property deal.

Umno trying to 'cleanse' itself

Faekah also claimed that the criminal action brought against Khir was merely "a political ploy" for Selangor Umno to reclaim some credibility.

However, she said, this would not work because Selangor Umno would not be able to redeem itself after 50 years of alleged corrupt practices and failure to administer the state effectively.

“Dozens of development projects were approved despite them not adhering to guidelines. The result is that only crony companies have benefitted, and the (results) are abandoned projects.

“(For example) thousands of house buyers in the Bukit Botak project were cheated and many became bankrupt. The Alam Perdana project that involved 7,000 acres was also abandoned,” she said.

According to Faekah, other alleged wrongdoings by the previous BN administration included the Talam Corp Bhd debt of RM391 million and the Green Revolution Project for Felda settlers.

“Charging Khir does not mean that Umno is in the process of cleansing itself and that the new leaders who would helm Selangor Umno should be given a chance.

“Their sins and corruption were exposed after Pakatan Rakyat took over the state government, and is working hard to clean up their mess.

“It is a difficult process, but half of the problems have been resolved despite the administration being less than three years old,” she said, adding that the new administration had vowed never to repeat BN's mistake.

[Source: Mkini]