4 theSun | TUESDAY MARCH 24 2009

news without borders

10 held in RM61m
Eramin bust
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Police nabbed four Taiwanese
chemists and six Malaysians in the biggest sei-
zure of designer drugs Eramin 5 worth a whop-
ping RM61.3 million at a factory building turned
laboratory at Tebrau 2 industrial estate in Johor
Baru early on Sunday.
The raiding party from the Federal Narcot-
ics Department here seized millions of the
hallucinary pills, raw material, ingriedients and
machinery for making the pills following days of
survelliance and intelligence gathering on the
international drug syndicate.
Department director Commissioner Datuk
Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin said the raid was
carried out at about 5.30am and, initially, the
four Taiwanese and a local resident, who is a
caretaker of the laboratory, were arrested.
Simultaneous raids on other locations in Johor
Bahru saw five more Malaysians, believed to be
distributers of the drugs, caught.
Zul Hasnan said the syndicate was behind
the main supply of Eramin 5 in Malaysia and also
smuggled the drugs out for overseas demands.
Speaking at a press conference at the Palace
of the Golden Horses, where he was attending
a meeting by Inspector-General of Police Tan
Sri Musa Hassan for all state police heads, Zul
Hasnan added that the Taiwanese suspects were
responsible for the production of the pills and
among the Malaysians arrested was the mas-
termind of the syndicate. The suspects are aged
between 30 and 40 years.
He said the Taiwanese men had also funded
‘Company paid for shopping trip’ The cost of the air tickets for one busi-
RM17,000 SPENT ON ness class and six economy class seats was
RM17,438, KDEB president Datuk Abdul
AIRLINE TICKETS AND Karim Munisar told the Select Commit-
tee on Competance, Accountability and
RM206,000 ON ARTIFICIAL Transparency (Selcat) on the first day of
its inquiry into contributions disbursed to
Balkis yesterday.
FLOWERS AND 2,700 HATS Abdul Karim said the company paid
more than RM206,000 for the souvenirs
by Maria J. Dass from China, which included a few hun-
newsdesk@thesundaily.com dred stalks of artificial flowers in various
colours, and 2,700 hats – 900 each in red,
SHAH ALAM: Kumpulan Darul Ehsan yellow and purple.
Abdul Karim Bhd (KDEB) paid for the flight tickets of This was despite the fact that the in-
chats with seven members of the now-defunct wives voice showed the supplier had a branch
Teng during of Selangor assemblymen and MPs char- in Kuala Lumpur.
a break at ity organisation Balkis for a “souvenir The entire cost was absorbed by
the inquiry shopping” trip to Guangzhou, China in KDEB, a state investment arm, under its
yesterday. May 2007. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
programme.
Abdul Karim also said KDEB had
spent RM65,300 to buy songket material
given as gifts to VVIPs at a function hosted
by Balkis in February 2006, and about
RM25,000 for souvenir chocolates.
The company also contributed
RM100,000 for a dinner organised by
Balkis at Sunway Lagoon Resort and Spa
Hotel on July 24, 2007. This was a week
before the association co-hosted three
dinners, costing RM450,000.
The first two dinners, on Aug 2 and 3,
were held at the same venue and the third,
ANWAR FAIZ/THESUN
Asked what would happen if he did
not approve it, he said “susahlah” (that’s
tough).
Representatives of state-owned com-
panies and their subsidiaries admitted at
the inquiry that they were obliged to pay
for the costs incurred by Balkis, saying it
was a practice they did not question.
During the morning session, State
Secretary Datuk Ramli Mahmud said
the CSR guidelines for state companies
were determined by the companies
themselves and that there were “no fixed
guidelines”.
“It is for the CEOs to decide on based
on their budget allocations,” he said.
Ramli also said that where the state
was concerned, there was no special
treatment for Balkis as the organisation
had to write in to ask for financial assist-
ance.
He said the RM450,000 contribution
for the Balkis dinners at Sunway Lagoon
Resort and Spa Hotel and Sunway Lagoon
Theme Park Hotel were a one-off contri-
bution to the organisation, taking into
account the fact that the organisation was
run by the wives of state representatives.
“We received the endorsement of the
state executive council (exco) and the
financial officer to host the three events,
which the wives of elected representa-
tives from all the 13 states attended, with
Balkis as the co-host,” he said.

the activities, and checks showed that one of on Aug 4, was held at Sunway Lagoon Former Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri
them had criminal records in his country. Theme Park Hotel. The cost was borne by Selangor (PKNS) general manager Datuk
“The syndicate has been active for more than the state government with the approval of Harun Salim agreed with the committee
three months and the lab is the first of its kind the financial officer and endorsement of that PKNS was a “tukang bayar” (pay
exposed in Malaysia,” he said. the executive council (exco). master) for Balkis as the association
Asked by the select committee, chaired would forward its bills to the company
by Selangor State Assembly Speaker Teng to be paid.
Chang Khim, why the payments were However, Harun denied that he was
Helper who used ministry letterhead sacked made under KDEB’s CSR programme, concerned about repercussions if he did
Abdul Karim said: “We do not question not endorse the sponsorships because he
by Opalyn Mok Nordin said here yesterday. was not the ministry’s letterhead the relevance of this as it is determined by said his performance and the profits of
newsdesk@thesundaily.com Khaled denied he had any that was used but the political the previous state government and there the company were good and, therefore,
knowledge of the helper using the secretary’s office letterhead, are no criteria or guidelines. this was not a reason he took into account
GEORGE TOWN: A helper in the ministry’s letterhead to book the which said “Political Secretary to “Now, KDEB is under a new govern- when approving the sponsorships.
office of the higher education hotel rooms. the Higher Education Minister”. ment and if they change the policy and PKNS and its subsidiaries had also
minister’s political secretary had “He had done it out of urgency He also said the Malaysian stipulate guidelines pertaining to the CSR contributed large sums to Balkis, includ-
used the ministry’s letterhead to because the hotel wanted an im- Anti-Corruption Commission programme, then we will adhere to it.” ing RM300,000 for the three dinners held
book some 70 hotel rooms for mediate reply. I didn’t know about (MACC) had not contacted him on Abdul Karim was one of the four on Aug 2, 3 and 4.
Umno members and was sacked it because I was not in the office,” the matter. witnesses who testified before the seven- Pebadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Se-
for doing so. he said. Last week, Tian Chua, the member committee, made up of five langor (PKPS) deputy general manager
“This was done by somebody Asked how a helper could have PKR information chief and MP for Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen and two Mohd Nordin Darhan told the committee
in my political secretary’s office easy access to the ministry’s let- Batu, lodged a complaint with the Barisan Nasional representatives. the company had, in January 2006, con-
without authorisation, so when we terhead and misuse it, he said the MACC alleging that the ministry’s He said that “if the president approves tributed RM46,000 for the officiating of the
found out about it, he was asked letter was not signed and was letterhead was misused to book the appeal for funding from organisations Balkis complex in Section 7, Shah Alam,
to leave,” Higher Education Minis- thus unauthorised. rooms for Umno Pasir division like Balkis then the board would have to including the cost of 150 fruit hampers
ter Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Khaled also explained that it members. endorse it”. for guests.