Land sold for a song?

Taman Manggis land sold at half the market price

GEORGE TOWN: A company owned by a businessman from Kuala Lumpur bought the 0.4ha state land in Taman Manggis here for RM11mil although the market price is RM22mil.

Contentious issue: The 0.4ha plot of land in Taman Manggis at the junction of Jalan Zainal Abidin-Lorong Selamat in Penang.

State Barisan Nasional information chief H'ng Khoon Leng, who revealed this, questioned why the land was sold so cheaply.

He said only two bids were received and both bids were from companies owned by the businessman, who is a Datuk.

He said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should explain if he knew the businessman personally.

“I challenge Lim to declassify the open tender documents, including minutes of the exco meeting which approved the sale of the land,” he told a press conference here.

H'ng said information obtained from the land office showed that Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre Sdn Bhd and Victoria International Medical Centre submitted bids for the land.

Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre Sdn Bhd emerged successful when it submitted a bid of RM232 per sq ft or RM11mil.

H'ng said the businessman owned more than 20 companies, including several medical specialists centres, tour agencies and foreign workers' agencies.

It was reported that the land at the Jalan Zainal Abidin-Lorong Selamat-Jalan Burma junction had been sold to a company which plans to set up a private medical specialist centre.

The land was earlier reserved for a People's Housing Project.

By KOW KWAN YEE kowky@thestar.com.my