KUALA LUMPUR – Business tycoon Tan Sri Robert Tan Hua Choon is expected to face charges at the sessions court here.
Based on the court’s schedule, Tan will be charged at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court at 9am tomorrow before judge Suzana Hussin.
In a message to the media, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said it will be charging a “corporate figure” tomorrow morning. Sources close to the matter have since confirmed that the case is related to Spanco.
On January 20, Scoop reported that the MACC had mounted a raid on the residence of a businessman holding a “Tan Sri” title as part of the anti-graft agency’s investigation into alleged graft related to the procurement and management of the government’s vehicle fleet.
Sources told Scoop that the operation was a continuation of the graft busters’ ongoing investigation, which commenced in July 2023.
Later in January, it was reported that several personal bank accounts holding tens of millions of ringgit belonging to the businessman were frozen by the MACC as a result of its investigations into the same matter.
Sources also said the businessman was a proxy for a separate businessman who was investigated by the MACC on allegations of corruption and money laundering based on information from the Pandora Papers.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in February that the government’s agreement with Spanco was harming the nation, adding: “I don’t know what is wrong (about Spanco), but I know that it’s not right.”
However, the prime minister, who also serves as finance minister, confirmed last month that Putrajaya remains in business with Spanco.
“The government always ensures that the procurement contract for Spanco to supply, maintain and manage the government’s vehicle fleets is executed as needed as well as complies with procedures and due diligence,” the Finance Ministry said in a parliamentary written reply.
Berjaya Group founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan had previously filed a suit against Spanco and the Malaysian government, led at the time by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The suit pertained to the termination of Berjaya’s letter of intent (LoI) for a vehicle fleet concession, which was subsequently awarded to Spanco.
The LoI, which was offered to Berjaya Group and Naza Group under the then-Pakatan Harapan federal government, was cancelled in 2020 after Perikatan Nasional (PN) took over the government under Muhyiddin’s leadership.
The PN government awarded the contract to Spanco, which has held the concession since 1994, and paid it RM700 million more than the Berjaya-Naza contract – according to claims made by Tan last year. – April 2, 2024
