Penang Forum said the approval letter dated June 25 coincided with his retirement.

“It appears the letter’s date was filled up in handwriting. This means they prepared the approval (letter) much earlier and then wrote in on the last day of work,” said Penang Forum steering committee member Khoo Salma Nasution.

She said the letter issued on Kamarulnajuib’s last day in office “is just as suspicious as the two-working day Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval” for the project.

“The fishermen complained that DoE never once consulted them during the second EIA process, although the main objections concern the fisheries. Is this another premature approval?

“We hope the relevant ministry can explain.”

Khoo showed a DOE Facebook post on June 25 showing Kamarulnajuib bidding goodbye.

The said letter was also held up by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow on July 5 when he announced the approval of the reclamation project.

Earlier, Penang Forum researcher Evelyn Teh said the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) was approved in two days, based on a timeline sourced from the state government’s reports and updates on the project.

The claim was dismissed by Chow as “fake”, who said that the state took two years to obtain approval from the DOE.

Khoo defended Teh’s findings, saying the state’s response was misleading as it included the time it took to get the first attempt at approval from the DOE in 2017.

The 2017 application was rejected in August last year.

FMT has contacted the DOE for a response.