Councillor denies media report, mulls legal action

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today,

UPDATED 12.11PM PETALING JAYA: Klang municipal councillor Tee Boon Hock today denied allegations of corruption as reported in The Star yesterday which claimed that he had obtained contracts worth RM1 million for his cronies.
"My family and I have not applied for or received a single contract from the municipal council and we will not bid for any such contracts as it would mean a direct conflict of interest," he told a press conference this morning.

Tee also said he was considering taking legal action against the English daily as the article has "seriously damaged the reputation of my family and myself".

"Based on the description of the councillor provided in The Star report, I am the only one who fit the profile: I am in my 50s and have previously stood twice for a state seat in past general elections and was in the municipal council tender board from October 2009 to June 2010," said Tee.

Tee was reported to have misused exco member Ronnie Liu's letterhead and seal to obtain contracts worth RM1 million for 20 companies, including one belonging to a family member.

This morning Tee said that he had been Pandamaran state assemblyman Liu's special assistant from March 2008 to November 2009.

“During this period I had received numerous requests for assistance from the public and the constituents of Pandamaran.

“As part of the service from the state rep's office, I had issued and signed letters of support for those requesting for assistance, including letters of support to the welfare department, on behalf of the handicap, single mothers and others in need as well as those seeking assistance from the local councils,” he said.
Liu: I was misquoted
He added that these letters were written “without obligating any government officials to act in any improper manner”.

“Where contractors are involved, all letters were specifically qualified with the statement “syarat-syarat Majlis Perbandaran dan Kerajaan Negeri Selangor dipenuhi sepenuhnya” and “undang-undang yang melibatkan kontraktor pembekalan dan perkhidmatan perlulah dipatuhi dan diikuti sejujurnya”,” he added.

He also said that he had not issued such letters after he had stopped being Liu's special assistant.

Meanwhile, Liu, who was also present at the press conference, claimed that he was wrongly quoted by the daily.

"I did not 'confirm' to The Star reporter that my 'letterhead had been misused and that the local councillor was now being investigated by the party'," said Liu, who added that from what Tee has explained, he had no problems with the letters.

The state exco member also said that he was wrongly attributed as the state's deputy chief for DAP.
Under state investigation
Selangor DAP chief Ean Yong Hian Wah, who was also at the press conference, said DAP would not protect any members and leaders involved in corruption and misuse of power.

"I would like to stress that the party would not hesitate to take action against those who work against the interest of the public. The party will continue to review this matter and the allegation."

Yong, who is also a state exco member, said the difference between Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional is that “we will investigate and take action on the accused if found guilty. But BN will do all it can to sweep the issue under the carpet”.
Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had said yesterday that Tee faced a state level investigation which was started two weeks ago.
He was quoted in The Star as saying that the investigation started after Liu told him that the councillor had misused his letterheads to make recommendations to his cronies.