Phang quits MACC panel amid MAS row

January 27, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 Tan Sri Robert Phang announced his resignation today as a member of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commissions (MACC) Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel after graft allegations were levelled at him following his push for an investigation into alleged corrupt practices in Malaysia Airlines.Phang explained that he wanted to preserve his integrity and that of the anti-graft body.Yesterday, the MACC said that it had decided to keep Phang as a member of the panel after he had made a request to be relieved of the post to enable the MACC to investigate allegations that he was involved in corrupt practices.He claimed that he was victim of a concerted attack aimed at intimidating him after he raised concerns regarding the lack of action in the MAS scandal.Phang, who is also a Justice of the Peace, has consistently demanded that Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail be probed for graft, saying that Abdul Ganis explanations to the panel had failed to dispel suspicions that he was consorting with Shahidan Shafie, an alleged proxy for former MAS executive chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli.Phang added that the character assassination attack was an orchestrated attempt to discredit his reputation by rogues from within and outside the government.He said he was not surprised that the attacks are also centred on his past business in Sabah as Abdul Ghani and deputy minister in the Prime Ministers Department, Datuk V.K. Liew, are also from Sabah.Liew had urged the MACC to initiate an investigation into Phang after the allegations of bribery emerged on an online blog.Tajuddin was MAS executive chairman from 1994 to 2001. During his tenure, the national airline experienced losses totalling RM8 billion its biggest ever which led to complaints being lodged against him.Phang had demanded that Abdul Gani explain allegations that his recent haj pilgrimage was sponsored by Shahidan, who was also said to have gone for the same haj trip.