KUALA LUMPUR – YTL Power International Bhd has put on record its backing of its subsidiary YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, which was raided by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday as part of a probe into a RM4 billion 1BestariNet service tender.
YTL Power International clarified that YTL Communications was awarded the 1BestariNet project in 2011 by the Education Ministry through an open tender process involving 19 companies.
“YTL Communications was selected for being the most technically compliant and (it had the) most cost-effective bid,” the public-listed parent company said in a bourse filing yesterday.
“The project was certified by the Education Ministry as being successfully completed at the end of the contract period on June 30, 2019.”
The utility arm of YTL Corporation Bhd added that YTL Communications is providing its full cooperation to the anti-graft agency on this matter and trusts that the issue will be “satisfactorily resolved”.
However, the company did not confirm reports on MACC’s raid on YTL Communications’ office, instead stating that the graft busters had “recently requested information” from YTL Communications regarding 1BestariNet.
Yesterday, a source said that several documents were seized during a raid on YTL Communications’ office in the city centre here, with the MACC currently reviewing these documents to identify witnesses who will be called in to assist with the investigation.
“The investigation focuses on the submission of documents containing false particulars related to payments amounting to approximately RM2.7 billion,” the source said.
It is also believed that the investigation would extend to other criminal elements under the MACC Act 2009.
MACC’s investigation division senior director Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed that the case is being investigated under Section 18 of the MACC Act regarding the offence of intending to deceive principal by agent.
1BestariNet, a megaproject designed to provide connectivity and a learning platform for teachers, students and parents, was initiated in 2011 by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was the education minister at the time.
Amid criticism of poor internet service, the first Pakatan Harapan administration, through the then-education minister Maszlee Malik, decided not to extend YTL Communications’ contract in 2019.
Maszlee reportedly said that the decision was based on several studies carried out by independent and professional bodies with authority, including the auditor-general and the Public Accounts Committee. – September 5, 2024