KOTA KINABALU: The public has the right to know how the government spends money as well as the reasons behind every penny that is spent, says Parti Warisan Sabah.
That’s the rationale, Warisan vice-president Junz Wong said, for his questioning of the Sabah government over the use of a private jet on several occasions by a high-ranking state official
“I was merely asking for more transparency from the government. There is nothing wrong with asking questions.
“What Warisan asked is of public interest because whenever the government spends money, it is the people’s money they are using,” he said.
Wong was commenting on the accusation levelled against him by Sabah Assistant Finance Minister Ramlee Marhaban who said the Warisan leader had lied in an attempt to cast doubts over the ownership of a Gulfstream G200 jet belonging to Sabah Air.
Ramlee explained that the jet was registered under Innosky Limited, which was fully owned by Sabah Air.
With Labuan-based Innosky having been acquired by Sabah Air in December 2015, he said that the jet is therefore owned by a subsidiary which charters corporate jets.
Ramlee also explained that the major shareholder of Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd is the finance ministry while the balance of the shares is owned by Sabah Energy Corporation.
Wong, who is also Likas state assemblyman, explained that he had never said he went to Sabah Air office to check whether the aviation company offers the jet as part of its chartering services.
In fact, he said he had notified his followers on social media that it was his aides who went to the office to investigate and make enquiries.
“What I would like to know now is the rationale behind Sabah Air’s purchase of Innosky and the reason why such an acquisition was not made public.
“When Innosky was bought, did it already own a jet? Or did Sabah Air buy Innosky first and then later purchase the jet?” Wong asked.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com
PETALING JAYA: State-owned Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd has clarified that its Gulfstream G200 jet, which has been alleged by the opposition to belong to someone else, is registered under a UK company that it fully owns.
In a statement today, Sabah Air’s management maintained the jet was owned and operated by it.
“The aircraft is registered under Innosky Limited, which is 100% owned by Sabah Air,” it said.
It added that all Sabah Air planes and helicopters were available for charter.
Yesterday, Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Junz Wong had alleged that the jet really belonged to a high-ranking Sabah government official.
He had asked why the aircraft was not on the list available for the company’s aircraft chartering services.
“They only offer Bell 206B, Bell 206L, GAF Nomad N22B, King Air 200, Agusta 109, AS 355NP and AS 355N aircraft,” he said.
This, Wong said, confirmed that Sabah Air, even if it really owned the jet, did not offer it for chartering.
He also pointed out that Sabah Air failed to mention the aircraft registration number VP-CSA in its statement.
“I did a comprehensive search with the civil aviation authority’s active aircraft register. We found out that particular aircraft was registered under Innosky Limited.
“Why does Sabah Air claim that the jet belongs to them? What’s Sabah Air’s relationship with Innosky Limited, which is registered in Birmingham?”
Wong urged Sabah Air to come clean as the company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the state government under the finance ministry and every sen the company spends must be accountable because it is taken from public funds.
Sabah Air said it worked with other service providers which owned or managed their own fleet of aircraft to come up with “the most competitive proposition” for its clients.
It cited an incident on Oct 16 where one of its partners carried out a “medevac”, or emergency evacuation, using its own Lear 60 to ferry a Singaporean from Tawau to Singapore following an accident.
“In cases where the range is beyond the aircraft’s capability, such as from London to Kuala Lumpur, the patients will be flown on commercial airlines, accompanied by a doctor and nurse,” the statement said.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Warisan Youth chief Mohd Azis Jamman had also challenged the state government to come clean on the true ownership of the G200 jet.
Azis said he was alerted to the existence of the jet through a Facebook post by one Azizul Hj Tandek.
He said Warisan had checked and found that the jet was registered under the name of a foreign limited company based in Birmingham, UK.
Original article ➤ http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com
Sabah Air statement does not hold water, says Parti Warisan Sabah
Warisan veep Junz Wong also urges Companies Commission of Malaysia to investigate Ramlee Marhaban's company, said to be source of all his wealth.
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Junz Wong is adamant that a jet which Sabah Air had claimed as its own really belongs to a high-ranking Sabah government official.
In response to a statement by Sabah Air, which said that the Gulfstream G200 jet is owned by the aviation company, Wong questioned why the aircraft was not on the list of the company’s aircraft chartering service.
“They only offer Bell 206B, Bell 206L, GAF Nomad N22B, King Air 200, Agusta 109, AS 355NP and AS 355N aircraft,” he said.
This, he said, confirmed that Sabah Air, even if they really owned the jet, did not offer it for chartering services.
He also pointed out that Sabah Air failed to mention the aircraft registration number VP-CSA in its statement.
“I did a comprehensive search with the civil aviation authority’s active aircraft register. We found out that particular aircraft was registered under Innosky Limited.
“Why does Sabah Air claim that the jet belongs to them? What’s Sabah Air’s relationship with Innosky Limited, which is registered in Birmingham?”
Wong urged Sabah Air to come clean as the company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the state government under the finance ministry and every sen the company spends must be accountable because it is taken from public funds.
Meanwhile, in response to a statement by Semporna Umno Youth exco member Norsadin Shamsuddin, who said Bugaya assemblyman Ramlee Marhaban acquired his wealth through his company, Pemborong Sara Sdn Bhd, Wong claimed there was no record of the company in the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
“Does it mean that Pemborong Sara has not filed its accounts and submitted returns all these years? How to justify his wealth then if so?
“I hope this time the people can hear directly from Ramlee on the status of his company.”
He also urged SSM to explain why the information of the company is not recorded in its system and whether the company is legal.
“I guess we will have to pay the Inland Revenue Board office a visit to find out how much taxes Pemborong Sara has paid all these years to acquire such wealth.
“I hope this fact will catch the attention of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) because Norsadin’s statement has raised more question marks than answers.”
Original article ➤ http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com
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