Thesun 2009-07-07 Page01 Khir I Took Rm3

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No. 4796 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Tuesday July 7, 2009

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SHAH ALAM: Former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo (pic) said he took a RM3.5 million loan to buy a sprawling Balinese-style mansion in an exclusive neighbourhood, brushing off allegations that the property is valued at RM24 million. “I bought this house five years after I became MB, I even obtained the loan from Hongkong Shanghai Bank, an international bank, because I anticipated these types of accusations and did not want to be accused of misusing local banks to secure a loan,” he told a press conference at his office yesterday afternoon. “I even went as far as asking state secretary Datuk Ramli Mahmud and the AntiCorruption Agency (now known as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) to conduct the necessary checks,” he said.

The dentist-turned-politician was replying to allegations from Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim who took reporters to the property yesterday morning. The double-storey mansion is nestled among manicured lawns with a swimming pool and playground (which Ng claimed cost RM280,000) and occupies two lots at the end of Jalan Suasa 7/1L. Passers-by could easily miss the estate, that could pass off as an exclusive retreat, located just below the main road – Jalan Suasa 7/1. “He has a lot of explaining to do, because his salary as mentri besar (MB) over eight years does not justify the lavish purchase and spending on this property,” said Ng who produced documents to prove Mohd Khir’s ownership of the land. He estimates the property and furnishings to be worth RM24 million. An extract from the Land and Mines Department named Mohd Khir and his wife

Jal an Per ak 7 /1

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7/1 Jalan Permata

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Ja lan Pe rm at a7 /1 l /1 a7 as Su

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Entertainment

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Khir: I took RM3.5m loan

Jalan Mu ti

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by Maria J. Dass

Istana Mastika

Jalan Mani kar 7/2

FORMER SELANGOR MB DENIES HIS SHAH ALAM HOUSE COSTS RM24M

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Jalan

M en te ri

A map to Mohd Khir’s Balinese-style house and an aerial view of the sprawling property which occupies two lots in the exclusive enclave of Section 7, Shah Alam.

Jalan Manikar Satu

PKNS Condo

Datin Seri Zahrah Kechik as the owners of Lot PT 65 (0.189ha) valued at RM900,000 and Lot PT 62 (0.30ha) valued at RM2.9 million. The lease is for 99 years. The lots were transferred from Ditamas Sdn Bhd to Mohd Khir and his wife in July and September 2007. However, Shah Alam City Council records show that Ditamas is still the owner. Annual assessments on the property total almost RM9,000. Not much could be seen from the outside except for rooftops of four blocks, palm trees, several air-condition compressors and closed-circuit TV cameras along the high walls. A man inside what looked like a guardhouse quickly shut the door behind him at the sight of reporters. The huge wooden gate and archway, which Ng claimed cost RM290,000 after checking with a contractor, was shut.

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South Korean president gives RM91 million to charity SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, who rose from childhood poverty to the top office, yesterday donated 33.1 billion won (about RM91 million) – most of his personal fortune – to a fund for needy students. “Today is a wonderful and joyous day,” he said in a statement after handing over more than 80% of his total wealth to a foundation in observance of an election campaign pledge. Lee, who worked part-time at manual jobs to put himself through

school and university, said he would never forget the people – mostly poor themselves – “who offered a hand to a poor boy during those trying times”. “And I know that the best way for me to pay back such kindness is to give back to society what I earned,” he said. Presidential officials described the donation as “unprecedented in the history of politics”. Lee, 67, is a former construction executive and the first South Korean

president from a business background. He said the scholarship foundation reflects his long-time hope that his wealth should be used to help “those who really need it”. “I am glad that today I am able to keep the promise,” he added, saying his wife and four children supported his decision. “Without the miraculous achievements made by the people of this great country, a boy from a devastatingly poor family would have never become

its president.” Since he took office in February last year, Lee – an elder with a Presbyterian church – has also donated his monthly presidential salary of 14 million won to low-income households. He said he hoped yesterday’s gift would kick-start a donation campaign by others: “I yearn for this country to be a country where we care for one another.” Song Jeong-Ho, a lawyer who will head the foundation, said it would

offer about 90 million won every month based on its income from the donated assets. The announcement follows a survey by Lee’s office, which showed that about 70% of respondents think the conservative leader has adopted policies favouring high-income earners and conglomerates. The presidential office believes Lee’s centrist pragmatic policies “had not been explained well,” Park Heong-Joon, a senior presidential secretary, told reporters. – AFP