Taiwanese claims he was nearly cheated of RM10mil plot
28/11/2007 The Star By JO TEH

KUALA LUMPUR: A Taiwanese has lodged a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) alleging that he was almost cheated of his RM10mil land in the heart of the city.

The 56-year-old businessman, Chen Wei Pin, said he had bought the plot of land in Changkat Raja Chulan here in 1990 and leased it to a car park operator in recent years.

According to MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong, the report was lodged yesterday morning at the ACA office in the presence of a senior officer, Chen’s lawyer, the department’s legal adviser Datuk Theng Book, and Chong.

“This is a very serious matter and we want the agency to investigate and initiate action,” Chong said, adding that two police reports were lodged earlier.

“This matter will have a bad impact on foreign investors as it affects their confidence in our country. We do not want them to tell their countrymen that property in Malaysia can easily be ‘stolen’,” Chong told reporters yesterday.

Chong also said he hoped to bring the matter to the attention of MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, who is also Housing and Local Government Minister.

The matter surfaced when Chen’s office boy spotted a discrepancy in a land title search when Chen wanted to sell the land to an interested buyer.

At present, the Land Office’s computerised records show that Chen is already in the process of selling the 17,000sq feet plot even though he is not aware of it and that a private caveat had been entered by a director of Zen Zaman Sdn Bhd, claiming that Chen had sold the land to his company.

The Taiwanese denies any knowledge of the transaction, claiming that he had never heard of the company.

Although he holds the original title to his land, attempts to retrieve records of his ownership at the Land Office have proved unsuccessful. There is also no memorandum of transfer on the sale to the private company.

“We have urged the director (of Zen Zaman) to come forward but so far nothing has happened,” said Chong.