OPV project: PAC urged to conduct immediate investigations

SHAH ALAM - Pakatan Harapan (PH) has urged for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to conduct a thorough investigation into the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) project which allegedly involves mismanagement of an allocation amounting to RM738.9 million.

Perak PH chairman Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa said the investigation was important as it involved the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA) assets needed to protect the country’s waters.

The Parit Buntar MP also questioned how the two engineering companies involved in the construction of the ships were awarded the contract when the companies were facing financial problems.

"I was informed that the vendors are demanding for the outstanding debts failed to be settled, causing the OPV completion to be delayed including with the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

"The company has been delisted and likely to cease operations due to the burden of debts.

"The names of the companies stated in my statement are all problematic and I am concerned that the safety needs to protect the country's waters would also be affected by the delay," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Previously, the MMEA Director-General Maritime Admiral Datuk Mohd Zubil Mat Som said they were expected to receive the three OPV vessels currently under construction early next year.

He said this was due to the Covid-19 pandemic which previously contributed to the delay in handing over the ships to the agency.