IPOH, April 6 — The decision to halt planning approval for the development of a piece of land, which was sold to a third party, after its initial proposal as the site for an airport, in Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, falls under the local government, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.

However, Saarani said such decisions should be made in accordance with the law and the District Council YDP must refer to existing regulations.

"Only the local government can make the decision. In this case, it is the Perak Tengah District Council.

"They must make sure it is legally sound. They can’t simply decide a matter that might go against regulations and the law,” he told a press conference at the mentri besar’s office here.

Earlier today, Perak Public Accounts Committee (PAC) member Chong Zhemin said that Saarani should suspend planning approval and stop any sort of development in the land immediately.

"Right now, we don’t know what the whole case is. There were a lot of claims that the land was sold during the Barisan Nasional administration as well as the Pakatan Harapan administration.

"So any development at the said land should be halted immediately until we have an answer,” he said.

In March, Perak Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transport Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun, in his winding-up speech at the state assembly, said that the plan to build the airport, which involves seven plots of about 478 hectares, had been approved by a state executive councillor meeting on February 28, 2018.

However, Mohd Zolkafly added that 188.13 hectares from the allocated land, which was owned by Perak Development Corporation (PKNP), had been sold to a third party.

This came after the issue was raised by Perak DAP chairman and Aulong assemblyman Nga Kor Ming during the state assembly sitting that the land had been sold without the state government’s consent.

On March 31, Saarani confirmed that a plot of land, which was previously identified as the location for a new international airport in Seri Iskandar, had been sold to a private company.

He said the sale of the land was conducted by the previous state government during the PH administration.

Yesterday, four former state executive councillors, namely Howard Lee Chuan How (DAP), Datuk Asmuni Awi (Amanah), Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (Amanah), and Tan (PKR), lodged a report on the land issue with the Perak Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Nizar stressed that the sale of the airport land from PKNP to a third party was not discussed during any board meeting which he attended during his time as a state executive councillor.

Similarly, he said the sale of the land was not raised during any state executive councillor meetings.

As for the MACC report regarding the sale of the airport land, Saarani reiterated that there would be no cover-up by the state government and the investigation would be conducted in a transparent way.

When asked if Umno or the state government would be lodging a report with the authorities over the matter, Saarani replied that it was not necessary as the authorities only need one report to start the investigation, which he said had already been made by the Opposition leaders.