The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has launched a probe into allegations of corruption and misconduct in the award of tenders for the MyKiosk project under the housing and local government ministry.
In a statement, Zainul Darus, senior director of MACC’s investigation division, confirmed that a probe had commenced.
“In this investigation, MACC will focus on identifying any elements of corruption or misconduct in the tender process,” he said.
He also said that MACC’s governance investigation division had commenced a parallel investigation into the project.
“We will examine the overall governance process to determine if there were any breaches of rules, systems, or procedures,” Zainul said.
In May, Selangor MCA Youth filed a complaint with the anti-graft agency calling for an investigation into the funding and execution of the RM250 million project.
Its chief Tan Jie Sen claimed that despite the significant investment, only slightly more than half of the kiosks were occupied.
Pahang MCA Youth meanwhile asked why the government was paying RM25,000 to RM34,000 per kiosk, saying the market price was only RM12,800 per unit.
Housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming responded by saying that the RM25,000 figure was misleading as it included the cost of solar panels, fans, stoves, transportation, installation, and site set-up.
He also dismissed allegations that the initiative was a white elephant, calling the claims baseless.
The ministry voluntarily submitted documents related to the project to MACC in May, to show that everything had been done transparently and in accordance with procedures, despite the lack of a formal request from the anti-graft agency.
The MyKiosk initiative aims to provide the B40 group and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises with standardised, safe, and affordable trading spaces for rent.
As of December 2024, a total of 7,243 MyKiosk units had been approved across 133 local councils nationwide, benefitting more than 7,000 families.
