IPOH, July 14 — Perak Public Accounts Committee (PAC) members urged the state to table the forensic audit report on the Movie Animation Park Studio (MAPS) in the next state legislative assembly sitting on July 18.

Perak PAC committee member Chong Zhemin said the report by PwC Consulting Associates (M) Sdn Bhd was completed in 2020 but had yet to be tabled in the state assembly.

“The PAC committee had a meeting on Monday, and we have requested the audit report to be tabled in the next state assembly as this could be the last sitting before the next general election.

“However, chairman Datuk Mohd Tarmizi Idris and the majority of members from the government side have raised an issue, saying that the payment from the audit report is yet to be paid by Perak Corporation Berhad (PCB); thus, it should not be tabled in the siting till they have settle the payment,” he told reporters at the PAC meeting room in the State Secretariat Building here.

The Keranji assemblyman pointed out that the issue of payment and the matter of tabling the audit report are two separate matters and should not be used as a reason to delay the report being tabled in the state assembly.

“PAC has initially paid RM200,000 for the audit report and the balance RM200,000 should be paid by PCB. However, due to some financial issues, PCB has yet to settle the amount with PwC.

“PAC has obtained the audit report and it should be tabled immediately in the state assembly as the people need to know what really transpired in the RM700 million project scandal, which is now closed,” he added.

Chong also urged Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and state Speaker Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid to prepare the necessary allocation to help settle the payment for PCB with PwC in order solve the MAPS’ issue conclusively.

Separately, Chong also said that the PAC chairman had agreed to investigate the sale of a piece of land proposed for the development of an international airport in Seri Iskandar, Tronoh as well as rare earth project identified as lanthanide in Hulu Perak, which is alleged to have commenced without Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, in their latest meeting.

However, Chong expressed his disappointment that the chairman failed to fix a date for the investigation and did not list the name of the witnesses, who will be called for the investigation.

“Previously, when I was the PAC chairman, when the committee agreed to investigate a matter, we would immediately fix the date, name the witnesses and send the necessary letter to them.

“We are not sure whether this one of the tactics to delay the investigation. Furthermore, this is the second time PAC has gathered for a meeting.

“The first meeting was held in October 2021 and the next meeting was in July 2022 after the formation of new committee. There is a gap of 10 months for a meeting. By right PAC members need to be gathered for meetings at least once a month,” he explained.

Also present for the meeting today was another PAC member from PKR, Tan Kar Hing.