Deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh said previous negotiations were delayed after YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, the project’s contractor, filed an application for a judicial review against the government.
However, he said, talks resumed after the company withdrew its judicial review application on Oct 5, 2021, as advised.
“On March 17, 2023, a Cabinet paper regarding the proposed solution for site rental and electricity charges for Phase 2 of the 1BestariNet project and the post-project period was presented at a meeting.
“Currently, the ministry is finalising the proposed solution and will submit it to the Cabinet through a memorandum to determine the direction for resolving this issue,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi), who asked for the latest status of the 1BestariNet project and if any legal action had been taken against the company awarded the project.
Wong said no legal action has been taken against YTL Communications to date, adding that the case is still under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
“The ministry is fully cooperating with MACC in this matter and stands ready to provide assistance,” he said.
In September, MACC raided YTL Communications’ office in Kuala Lumpur and a government office as part of an investigation into the now-defunct project.
The investigation reportedly focuses on allegations of false details in a RM2.7 billion payment, along with other potential offences under the MACC Act 2009.
YTL Communications’ parent company, YTL Power International Bhd, has since maintained that the project was completed successfully within the contract period, as certified by the ministry.
Last month, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki stated that former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin would be called in at an appropriate time in connection with the investigation after MACC gathers more information.
He said Muhyiddin, who initiated the project in 2011 while serving as education minister, would be called in “just like others who were involved in the project”.