Highway award: Umno 'merit' men - Zaki, Hafarizam

The award of RM2.2 billion Kinrara-Damansara Expressway concession to a company linked to a Umno lawyer and a former chief justice’s wife was “based on merit”, said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today in response to a question raised by journalist on allegations made by self-exiled blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin recently, who alleged that the project was a gift to lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun and former Chief Justice Zaki Azmi for helping BN take over Perak in 2009.

Muhyiddin said the lucrative project was awarded to Emrail Sdn Bhd and Zabima Engineering as they are “qualified companies”.

Last month, Hafarizam - a lawyer for Umno, is a director in Emrail and Zabima - told Malaysiakini that the two companies had won the contracts on merit and that they had to face “stiff competition” for the bid. Nik Sazlina Mohd Zain, who is Zaki’s wife, is a director at  Emrail.

Muhyiddin (right) however denied the allegations saying that the companies were selected fairly and said, "It was based on a proper evaluation of submissions by the company to the government and agencies concerned."

At a press conference after launching the MyKomuter six-car trains in Kuala Lumpur today, Muhyiddin said that the federal government will not deny qualified companies from bidding for government projects and whoever felt they could contribute to the public transport system, the government would welcome them."

Hafarizam was one of the lawyers who represented BN’s Zambry Abd Kadir, the current Perak menteri besar, in several cases brought by Pakatan Rakyat while Zaki (left), a former member of the Umno disciplinary board, did not sit on any of the Federal Court panels which heard the cases.